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Channeling Remittances to Education: A Field Experiment Among Migrants from El Salvador

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  • Kate Ambler
  • Diego Aycinena
  • Dean Yang

Abstract

We implement a randomized experiment offering Salvadoran migrants matching funds for educational remittances, which are channeled directly to a beneficiary student in El Salvador chosen by the migrant. The matches lead to increased educational expenditures, higher private school attendance, and lower labor supply of youths in El Salvador households connected to migrant study participants. We find substantial "crowd-in" of educational investments: for each $1 received by beneficiaries, educational expenditures increase by $3.72. We find no shifting of expenditures away from other students, and no effect on remittances.

Suggested Citation

  • Kate Ambler & Diego Aycinena & Dean Yang, 2014. "Channeling Remittances to Education: A Field Experiment Among Migrants from El Salvador," NBER Working Papers 20262, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20262
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    Cited by:

    1. David McKenzie & Dean Yang, 2015. "Evidence on Policies to Increase the Development Impacts of International Migration," World Bank Research Observer, World Bank Group, vol. 30(2), pages 155-192.
    2. Ambler, Kate, 2015. "Don't tell on me: Experimental evidence of asymmetric information in transnational households," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 52-69.
    3. Fadi Hassan & Paolo Lucchino, 2016. "Powering Education," Natural Field Experiments 00566, The Field Experiments Website.
    4. Licuanan, Victoria & Omar Mahmoud, Toman & Steinmayr, Andreas, 2015. "The Drivers of Diaspora Donations for Development: Evidence from the Philippines," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 94-109.
    5. Belot, Michèle & James, Jonathan, 2016. "Partner selection into policy relevant field experiments," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 31-56.
    6. De Arcangelis, Giuseppe & Joxhe, Majlinda & McKenzie, David & Tiongson, Erwin & Yang, Dean, 2015. "Directing remittances to education with soft and hard commitments: Evidence from a lab-in-the-field experiment and new product take-up among Filipino migrants in Rome," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 197-208.
    7. Bai, Yu & Zhang, Linxiu & Liu, Chengfang & Shi, Yaojiang & Mo, Di & Rozelle, Scott, 2016. "Effect of Parental Migration on the Academic Performance of Left-behind Children in Northwestern China," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 236806, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Clemens, Michael A., 2017. "Violence, Development and Migration Waves: Evidence from Central American Child Migrant Apprehensions," IZA Discussion Papers 10928, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    9. Parag Mahajan & Dean Yang, 2017. "Taken by Storm: Hurricanes, Migrant Networks, and U.S. Immigration," Working Papers 17-50, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    10. repec:eee:pubeco:v:155:y:2017:i:c:p:122-137 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Asatryan, Zareh & Bittschi, Benjamin & Doerrenberg, Philipp, 2017. "Remittances and public finances: Evidence from oil-price shocks," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 122-137.
    12. Ambler, Kate, 2013. "Don’t tell on me: Experimental evidence of asymmetric information in transnational households:," IFPRI discussion papers 1312, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    13. Adelman,Melissa Ann & Szekely,Miguel, 2016. "School dropout in Central America : an overview of trends, causes, consequences, and promising interventions," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7561, The World Bank.
    14. Parag Mahajan & Dean Yang, 2017. "Taken by Storm: Hurricanes, Migrant Networks, and U.S. Immigration," NBER Working Papers 23756, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Kate Ambler & Diego Aycinena & Dean Yang, 2014. "Remittance Responses to Temporary Discounts: A Field Experiment among Central American Migrants," NBER Working Papers 20522, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • F24 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Remittances
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies
    • I22 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Educational Finance; Financial Aid
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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