The Impacts of International Migration on Remaining Household Members : Omnibus Results from a Migration Lottery Program

Gibson, John; McKenzie, David; Stillman, Steven

The Impacts of International Migration on Remaining Household Members : Omnibus Results from a Migration Lottery Program

Autores

Gibson, John

McKenzie, David

Stillman, Steven

Descripción

The impacts of international migration on development in the sending countries, and especially the effects on remaining household members, are increasingly studied. However, comparisons of households in developing countries with and without migrants are complicated by a double-selectivity problem: households self-select into migration, and among households involved in migration, some send a subset of members with the rest remaining while other households migrate en masse. The authors address these selectivity issues using the randomization provided by an immigration ballot under the Pacific Access Category of New Zealand s immigration policy. They survey applicants to the 2002-05 ballots in Tonga and compare outcomes for the remaining household members of emigrants with those for members of similar households that were unsuccessful in the ballots. The immigration laws determine which household members can accompany the principal migrant, providing an instrument to address the second selectivity issue. Using this natural experiment, the authors examine the myriad impacts that migration has on remaining household members, focussing on labor supply, income, durable assets, financial service usage, diet, and physical and mental health. The analysis uses multiple hypothesis testing procedures to examine which impacts are robust. The findings indicate that the overall impact on households left behind is largely negative. The findings also reveal evidence that both sources of selectivity matter, leading studies that fail to adequately address them to misrepresent the impact of migration.

Palabras clave

ACCESS TO BANK ACCOUNTS, ACCESS TO BANKING, ACCESS TO BANKING SERVICES, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, ADULT LITERACY, AGED, AGRICULTURAL INCOME, ALCOHOL, ALCOHOLIC, ASSET ACCUMULATION, ASSET OWNERSHIP, ATM CARD, ATM CARDS, BANK ACCOUNT, BANK ACCOUNTS, BANKING SYSTEM, BANKS, BASIC EDUCATION, BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE, BIASES, BRAIN DRAIN, BULLETIN, BUSINESS CAPITAL, BUSINESS OWNER, BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, CHILD HEALTH, CITIZENS, COMMUNITIES, CULTURAL CHANGE, DEMAND FOR SERVICES, DEPENDENT CHILDREN, DESCRIPTION, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT BANK, DIABETES, DIET, DIETS, DROPOUT, DWELLING, EARNINGS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC RESOURCES, EDUCATION LEVEL, EDUCATION OF CHILDREN, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, ELDERLY, EMIGRATION LEVELS, EMPLOYERS, ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES, ETHNIC GROUPS, EXCHANGE RATE, EXCLUSION, EXTENDED FAMILY, FAMILIES, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY REUNIFICATION, FEMALE, FEMALES, FEWER CHILDREN, FEWER YEARS OF EDUCATION, FINANCIAL ACCESS, FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL SERVICE, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, FOREIGN LANGUAGES, GENDER, GIRLS, GLOBAL COMMISSION, GLOBAL COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH BEHAVIOR, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HEALTH SERVICES, HIGHER EDUCATION LEVELS, HOME OWNERSHIP, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, HOUSEHOLD INVESTMENT, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSEHOLD STRUCTURE, HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS, HOUSEHOLDS, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUSBAND, IMMIGRANT, IMMIGRANTS, IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION LAWS, IMMIGRATION POLICIES, IMMIGRATION POLICY, IMPACT OF MIGRATION, INEQUALITY, INFANT, INFANT MORTALITY, INFANT MORTALITY RATES, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, LABOR FORCE, LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, LABOR MOBILITY, LABOR SUPPLY, LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, LIFESTYLES, MENTAL HEALTH, MIGRANT, MIGRANT-SENDING COUNTRIES, MIGRANTS, MIGRATIONS, MONEY TRANSFER, NEIGHBORHOOD, NUMBER OF ADULTS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, NUTRITION, OBESITY, OLDER ADULTS, PERMANENT RESIDENCE, PERMANENT RESIDENTS, POLICY ENVIRONMENT, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POOR PEOPLE, POTENTIAL MIGRANTS, POWER, PROGRESS, PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY, RECEIPT, RECEIPTS, RECESSIONS, REMITTANCE, REMITTANCES, REPAYMENT, RISING DEMAND, RURAL ASSET, SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, SCREENING, SELECTION SYSTEM, SELF-EMPLOYMENT, SEX, SIBLINGS, SKILLED MIGRANTS, SMOKING, SPOUSE, SPOUSES, STATE UNIVERSITY, TRANSACTIONS COSTS, UNION, VILLAGES, WALKING, WAR, WORKERS, WORKFORCE, YOUNG CHILDREN, YOUTH