IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp7779.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Remittances and Migration Intentions of the Left-Behind

Author

Listed:
  • Piracha, Matloob

    (University of Kent)

  • Saraogi, Amrita

    (Bunge Ltd)

Abstract

Migration and the consequent flow of remittances are like a double-edged sword; while keeping many out of poverty, they can also result in further brain drain and demographic imbalance for the country. Using a large household survey data from Moldova and employing simultaneous equations model we show that there exists a dual causality between receipt of remittances by non-migrants and their migration intentions. Moreover, we add a novel element to the empirical literature by being the first to be able to specify the mechanism behind the link between remittances and migration. We find evidence that remittances not only relieve credit constraints in the home country but also act as a signalling device of success in the host country. These results provide a fresh outlook on the role of remittances in shaping migration flows in the migrant sending countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Piracha, Matloob & Saraogi, Amrita, 2013. "Remittances and Migration Intentions of the Left-Behind," IZA Discussion Papers 7779, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7779
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp7779.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bauer, Thomas K. & Epstein, Gil S. & Gang, Ira N., 2002. "Herd Effects or Migration Networks? The Location Choice of Mexican Immigrants in the U.S," IZA Discussion Papers 551, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Flore GUBERT, 2000. "Migration, Remittances and Moral Hazard. Evidence from the Kayes Area (Western Mali)," Working Papers 200017, CERDI.
    3. Stark, Oded & Wang, You Qiang, 2002. "Migration dynamics," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 76(2), pages 159-164, July.
    4. Puri, Shivani. & Ritzema, Tineke., 1999. "Migrant worker remittances, micro-finance and the informal economy : prospects and issues," ILO Working Papers 993576093402676, International Labour Organization.
    5. Ralitza Dimova & Fran�ois-Charles Wolff, 2015. "Remittances and Chain Migration: Longitudinal Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(5), pages 554-568, May.
    6. Ralph Chami & Connel Fullenkamp & Samir Jahjah, 2005. "Are Immigrant Remittance Flows a Source of Capital for Development?," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 52(1), pages 55-81, April.
    7. van Dalen, H.P. & Henkens, K., 2008. "Emigration Intentions : Mere Words or True Plans? Explaining International Migration Intentions and Behavior," Discussion Paper 2008-60, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    8. repec:ilo:ilowps:357609 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Hendrik Dalen & George Groenewold & Jeannette Schoorl, 2005. "Out of Africa: what drives the pressure to emigrate?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 18(4), pages 741-778, November.
    10. Ilahi, Nadeem & Jafarey, Saqib, 1999. "Guestworker migration, remittances and the extended family: evidence from Pakistan," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(2), pages 485-512, April.
    11. Mariano Sana & Douglas S. Massey, 2005. "Household Composition, Family Migration, and Community Context: Migrant Remittances in Four Countries," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 86(2), pages 509-528, June.
    12. Dustmann, Christian & Mestres, Josep, 2010. "Remittances and temporary migration," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(1), pages 62-70, May.
    13. Hendrik P. van Dalen & George Groenewold & Tineke Fokkema, 2005. "Remittances and their Effect on Emigration Intentions in Egypt, Morocco and Turkey," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 05-030/1, Tinbergen Institute.
    14. Alejandra Cox Edwards & Manuelita Ureta, 2003. "International Migration, Remittances, and Schooling: Evidence from El Salvador," NBER Working Papers 9766, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Thomas Liebig & Alfonso Sousa‐Poza, 2004. "Migration, Self‐Selection and Income Inequality: An International Analysis," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(1), pages 125-146, February.
    16. Edwards, Alejandra Cox & Ureta, Manuelita, 2003. "International migration, remittances, and schooling: evidence from El Salvador," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 429-461, December.
    17. repec:dau:papers:123456789/10871 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Christian Dustmann, 2003. "Children and return migration," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 16(4), pages 815-830, November.
    19. Xiushi Yang, 2000. "Determinants of Migration Intentions in Hubei Province, China: Individual versus Family Migration," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 32(5), pages 769-787, May.
    20. Stark,Oded, 1999. "Altruism and Beyond," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521663731.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Azizbek Tokhirov & Jaromír Harmáček & Miroslav Syrovátka, . "Remittances and Inequality: The Post-Communist Region," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 0.
    2. Aleksandr Grigoryan & Knar Khachatryan, 2018. "Remittances and Emigration Intentions: Evidence from Armenia," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp626, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    3. Azizbek Tokhirov & Jaromír Harmáček & Miroslav Syrovátka, 2021. "Remittances and Inequality: The Post-Communist Region," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2021(4), pages 426-448.
    4. Anna Katharina Raggl, 2019. "Migration intentions in CESEE: sociodemographic profiles of prospective emigrants and their motives for moving," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q1/19, pages 49-67.
    5. Marta Gwiaździńska-Goraj & Katarzyna Pawlewicz & Aleksandra Jezierska-Thöle, 2020. "Differences in the Quantitative Demographic Potential—A Comparative Study of Polish–German and Polish–Lithuanian Transborder Regions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-27, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ralitza Dimova & Fran�ois-Charles Wolff, 2015. "Remittances and Chain Migration: Longitudinal Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(5), pages 554-568, May.
    2. Claire Naiditch & Radu Vranceanu, 2009. "Migratory Equilibria with Invested Remittances," Post-Print halshs-00376472, HAL.
    3. Hagen-Zanker, Jessica, 2010. "Modest expectations: Causes and effects of migration on migrant households in source countries," MPRA Paper 29507, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Brian Roberts & Malgorzata Markiewitz & Marjan Nikolov & Aleksandar Stojkov, 2008. "A Study On Determinants And Trends In Remittance Flows In Macedonia," Journal Articles, Center For Economic Analyses, pages 41-61, June.
    5. Aleksandr Grigoryan & Knar Khachatryan, 2018. "Remittances and Emigration Intentions: Evidence from Armenia," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp626, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    6. Maëlan Le Goff & Sara Salomone, 2016. "Remittances and the Changing Composition of Migration," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 513-529, April.
    7. Laetitia Duval & François-Charles Wolff, 2016. "Emigration intentions of Roma: evidence from Central and South-East Europe," Post-Communist Economies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 87-107, January.
    8. Katherine Meckel, 2008. "Remittance behavior among new U.S. immigrants," Working Paper Series WP-08-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    9. Giuliano, Paola & Ruiz-Arranz, Marta, 2009. "Remittances, financial development, and growth," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 144-152, September.
    10. Michael, Owiso, 2008. "Literature Review: Migration, Remittances and Development," MPRA Paper 104988, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2008.
    11. Dorsaf Srdid & Wafa Ghardallou, 2019. "Remittances and Disaggregated Country Risk Ratings in Tunisia: An ARDL Approach," Working Papers 1326, Economic Research Forum, revised 21 Aug 2019.
    12. Zakiyyah, Varachia, 2018. "Literature Review of Migration and Development," MPRA Paper 106444, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2018.
    13. Leonardo Di Marco & Olga Marzovilla & Luciano Nieddu, 2015. "The Role Of Remittances On The Business Cycle: The Case Of The Philippines," RIEDS - Rivista Italiana di Economia, Demografia e Statistica - The Italian Journal of Economic, Demographic and Statistical Studies, SIEDS Societa' Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, vol. 69(3), pages 119-130, July-Sept.
    14. Rapoport, Hillel & Docquier, Frederic, 2006. "The Economics of Migrants' Remittances," Handbook on the Economics of Giving, Reciprocity and Altruism, in: S. Kolm & Jean Mercier Ythier (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Giving, Altruism and Reciprocity, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 17, pages 1135-1198, Elsevier.
    15. Flippo, Behnaz, 2009. "A Literature Review: Migration and Remittances," MPRA Paper 104877, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2009.
    16. Dean Yang, 2011. "Migrant Remittances," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 25(3), pages 129-152, Summer.
    17. Chrząstowska, Bożena, 2010. "Migration and Remittances: A Literature Review on Remittance Behaviour," MPRA Paper 104690, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2010.
    18. Akasaka, Shintaro, 2016. "Theoretical Review of Migration and Development," MPRA Paper 106364, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    19. Fran�ois-Charles Wolff, 2015. "Do the Return Intentions of French Migrants Affect Their Transfer Behaviour?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(10), pages 1358-1373, October.
    20. Alessandra Venturini, 2012. "Methodological Aspects of Research on Flows Human Capital Flows: A survey," RSCAS Working Papers carim2012/01, European University Institute.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration intentions; remittances; simultaneity; Moldova;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • F24 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Remittances
    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7779. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.