What is the Impact of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Latin America?

What is the Impact of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Latin America?
Author:
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2007
Genre: Debt Markets
ISBN:

Download What is the Impact of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Latin America? Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Workers' remittances have become a major source of income for developing countries. However, little is still known about their impact on poverty and inequality. Using a large cross-country panel dataset, the authors find that remittances in Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries have increased growth and reduced inequality and poverty. These results are robust to the use of different instruments that attempt to correct for the potential endogeneity of remittances. Household survey-based estimates for 10 LAC countries confirm that remittances have negative albeit relatively small inequality and poverty-reducing effects, even after imputations for the potential home earnings of migrants.

The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty, Inequality, and Development in Rural Egypt

The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty, Inequality, and Development in Rural Egypt
Author: Richard H. Adams
Publisher: Intl Food Policy Res Inst
Total Pages: 92
Release: 1991-01-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0896290891

Download The Effects of International Remittances on Poverty, Inequality, and Development in Rural Egypt Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Study based on a household survey conducted by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) between September 1986 and May 1987 in three villages in the Minya governate.

How Do Migration and Remittances Affect Inequality? A Case Study of Mexico

How Do Migration and Remittances Affect Inequality? A Case Study of Mexico
Author: Zsoka Koczan
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 21
Release: 2018-06-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484361636

Download How Do Migration and Remittances Affect Inequality? A Case Study of Mexico Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The poverty-reducing effects of remittances have been well-documented, however, their effects on inequality are less clear. This paper examines the impact of remittances on inequality in Mexico using household-level information on the receiving side. It hopes to speak to their insurance role by examining how remittances are affected by domestic and external crises: the 1994 Mexican Peso crisis and the Global Financial Crisis. We find that remittances lower inequality, and that they become more pro-poor over time as migration opportunities become more widespread. This also strengthens their insurance effects, mitigating some of the negative impact of shocks on the poorest.

The Impact of Remittances on Rural Poverty and Inequality in China

The Impact of Remittances on Rural Poverty and Inequality in China
Author: Nong Zhu
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 32
Release: 2008
Genre: Access to Finance
ISBN:

Download The Impact of Remittances on Rural Poverty and Inequality in China Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Abstract: Large numbers of agricultural labor moved from the countryside to cities after the economic reforms in China. Migration and remittances play an important role in transforming the structure of rural household income. This paper examines the impact of rural-to-urban migration on rural poverty and inequality in the case of Hubei province using the data of a 2002 household survey. Since remittances are a potential substitute for farm income, the paper presents counterfactual scenarios of what rural income, poverty, and inequality would have been in the absence of migration. The results show that, by providing alternatives to households with lower marginal labor productivity in agriculture, migration leads to an increase in rural income. In contrast to many studies that suggest the increasing share of non-farm income in total income widens inequality, this paper offers support for the hypothesis that migration tends to have egalitarian effects on rural income for three reasons: (i) migration is rational self-selection - farmers with higher agricultural productivities choose to remain in local agricultural production while those with higher expected return in urban non-farm sectors migrate; (ii) poorer households facing binding constraints of land shortage are more likely to migrate; and (iii) the poorest poor benefit disproportionately from remittances.

Migration, Remittances, Poverty, and Human Capital

Migration, Remittances, Poverty, and Human Capital
Author: David McKenzie
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 16
Release: 2007
Genre: Emigration and immigration
ISBN: 0707061539

Download Migration, Remittances, Poverty, and Human Capital Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This paper reviews common challenges faced by researchers interested in measuring the impact of migration and remittances on income, poverty, inequality, and human capital (or, in general, "welfare") as well as difficulties confronting development practitioners in converting this research into policy advice. On the analytical side, the paper discusses the proper formulation of a research question, the choice of the analytical tools, as well as the interpretation of the results in the presence of pervasive endogeneity in all decisions surrounding migration. Particular attention is given to the use of instrumental variables in migration research. On the policy side, the paper argues that the private nature of migration and remittances implies a need to carefully spell out the rationale for interventions. It also notices the lack of good migration data and proper evaluations of migration-related government policies. The paper focuses mainly on microeconomic evidence about international migration, but much of the discussion extends to other settings as well.

The Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Human Capital

The Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Human Capital
Author: Pablo Acosta
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 36
Release: 2007
Genre: Debt Markets
ISBN:

Download The Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Human Capital Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This paper explores the impact of remittances on poverty, education, and health in 11 Latin American countries using nationally representative household surveys and making an explicit attempt to account for one of the inherent costs associated with migration -- the potential income that the migrant may have made at home. The main findings of the study are the following: (1) regardless of the counterfactual used remittances appear to lower poverty levels in most recipient countries; (2) yet despite this general tendency, the estimated impacts tend to be modes; and (3) there is significant country heterogeneity in the poverty reduction impact of remittances' flows. Among the aspects that have been identified in the paper that may lead to varying outcomes across countries are the percentage of households reporting remittances income, the share of remittances of recipient households belonging to the lowest quintiles of the income distribution, and the relative importance of remittances flows with respect to GDP. While remittances tend to have positive effects on education and health, this impact is often restricted to specific groups of the population.

International Migration, Remittances, and Poverty in Developing Countries

International Migration, Remittances, and Poverty in Developing Countries
Author: Richard H. Adams
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 38
Release: 2003
Genre: Developing countries
ISBN:

Download International Migration, Remittances, and Poverty in Developing Countries Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Few studies have examined the impact of international migration and remittances on poverty in a broad cross-section of developing countries. The authors try to fill this gap by constructing a new data set on poverty, international migration, and remittances for 74 low- and middle-income developing countries. Four key findings emerge: 1) International migration-defined as the share of a country's population living abroad-has a strong, statistical impact in reducing poverty. On average, a 10 percent increase in the share of international migrants in a country's population will lead to a 1.9 percent decline in the share of people living in poverty ($1.00 a person a day). 2) Distance to a major labor-receiving region-like the United States or OECD (Europe)-has an important effect on international migration. Developing countries that are located closest to the United States or OECD (Europe) are also those countries with the highest rates of migration. 3) An inverted U-shaped curve exists between the level of country per capita income and international migration. Developing countries with low or high per capita GDP produce smaller shares of international migrants than do middle-income developing countries. The authors find no evidence that developing countries with higher levels of poverty produce more migrants. Because of considerable travel costs associated with international migration, international migrants come from those income groups which are just above the poverty line in middle-income developing countries. 4) International remittances-defined as the share of remittances in country GDP-have a strong, statistical impact in reducing poverty. On average, a 10 percent increase in the share of international remittances in a country's GDP will lead to a 1.6 percent decline in the share of people living in poverty.

Remittances, Inequality and Poverty

Remittances, Inequality and Poverty
Author: Steve Boucher
Publisher:
Total Pages: 78
Release: 2005
Genre: Emigrant remittances
ISBN:

Download Remittances, Inequality and Poverty Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

"This paper seeks to offer an explanation for the diversity of impacts of remittances on inequality and poverty across regions"--Page 1.

Remittances and Development

Remittances and Development
Author: Pablo Fajnzylber
Publisher: World Bank Publications
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2008-02-08
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0821368710

Download Remittances and Development Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Workers' remittances have become a major source of financing for developing countries and are especially important in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is at the top of the ranking of remittance receiving regions in the world. While there has been a recent surge in analytical work on the topic, this book is motivated by the large heterogeneity in migration and remittance patterns across countries and regions, and by the fact that existing evidence for Latin America and the Caribbean is restricted to only a few countries, such as Mexico and El Salvador. Because the nature of the phenomenon varies across countries, its development impact and policy implications are also likely to differ in ways that are still largely unknown. This book helps fill the gap by exploring, in the specific context of Latin America and Caribbean countries, some of the main questions faced by policymakers when trying to respond to increasing remittances flows. The book relies on cross-country panel data and household surveys for 11 Latin American countries to explore the development impact of remittance flows along several dimensions: growth, poverty, inequality, schooling, health, labor supply, financial development, and real exchange rates.

Case Study on South-South Cooperation: PRC-ADB Knowledge-Sharing Platform

Case Study on South-South Cooperation: PRC-ADB Knowledge-Sharing Platform
Author: Asian Development Bank
Publisher: Asian Development Bank
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2012-08-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9290928336

Download Case Study on South-South Cooperation: PRC-ADB Knowledge-Sharing Platform Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This publication showcases the beginnings of the People‘s Republic of China–Asian Development Bank knowledge sharing platform, its context, activities, challenges, and lessons learned. It concludes by mapping out the next steps to bring it to its strategic mission.