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Remittances, finance and growth: does financial development foster remittances and their impact on economic growth

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  • Izabela Sobiech

Abstract

In this paper, I measure the importance of remittances and financial development for developing countries. I estimate an index of overall financial conditions and use it to determine the relevance of the financial sector as a transmission channel for remittances to affect economic growth. The index brings together information from existing measures, reflecting size, depth and efficiency of the financial sector. It is created by means of an unobserved components model. I show that the more financial development in a country, the smaller becomes the impact of remittances on economic growth and it can even turn negative. For countries with weaker financial markets there is a positive effect, but significant only at the earliest stages of financial development. The effect becomes negative in the third quartile of financial development. These results hold irrespective of the measure of financial development included, but are most profound in case of the created index. This means that estimates based on proxies might be slightly biased. I also show that countries with both low levels of remittances and financial development should first focus on developing the latter, while migrants' transfers become important for growth if the country has a moderate level of financial development.

Suggested Citation

  • Izabela Sobiech, 2015. "Remittances, finance and growth: does financial development foster remittances and their impact on economic growth," FIW Working Paper series 158, FIW.
    • Handle: RePEc:wsr:wpaper:y:2015:i:158
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    Cited by:

    1. D. O. Olayungbo & Ahmod Quadri, 2019. "Remittances, financial development and economic growth in sub-Saharan African countries: evidence from a PMG-ARDL approach," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 5(1), pages 1-25, December.
    2. Sun QIANG & Adnan KHURSHID & Adrian Cantemir CALIN & Khalid KHAN, 2019. "Do Remittances Contribute to the Development of Financial Institutions? New Evidence from the Developing World," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(2), pages 78-97, June.
    3. Zouhair Aït Benhamou & Lesly Cassin, 2018. "The effects of migration and remittances on development and capital in Caribbean Small Island Developing States," EconomiX Working Papers 2018-41, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    4. Fromentin, Vincent, 2017. "The long-run and short-run impacts of remittances on financial development in developing countries," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 192-201.
    5. Adnan KHURSHID & Yin KEDONG & Adrian Cantemir CALIN & Cristina Georgiana ZELDEA & Sun QIANG & Duan WENQI, 2020. "Is the Relationship between Remittances and Economic Growth Influenced by the Governance and Development of the Financial Sector? New Evidence from the Developing Countries," Journal for Economic Forecasting, Institute for Economic Forecasting, vol. 0(1), pages 37-56, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    remittances; economic growth; financial development; unobserved components model; dynamic panel data analysis;

    JEL classification:

    • F24 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - Remittances
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O16 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Financial Markets; Saving and Capital Investment; Corporate Finance and Governance

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