Journal article
Cash transfers and migration: Theory and evidence from a randomized controlled trial
- Abstract:
- Will the fast expansion of cash-based programming in poor countries increase international migration? Theoretically, cash transfers may deter migration by increasing its opportunity cost, or favor migration by relaxing liquidity, credit, and risk constraints. This paper evaluates the impact of a cash-for-work program on migration. Randomly selected households in Comoros were offered up to US$320 in cash in exchange for their participation in public works projects. We find that the program increased international migration by 38 percent, from 7.8% to 10.8%. The increase in migration appears to be driven by the alleviation of liquidity and risk constraints.
- Publication status:
- In press
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Access Document
- Files:
-
-
(Preview, Accepted manuscript, pdf, 2.2MB, Terms of use)
-
- Publisher copy:
- 10.1162/rest_a_01041
Authors
- Publisher:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press
- Journal:
- Review of Economics and Statistics More from this journal
- Volume:
- 105
- Issue:
- 1
- Pages:
- 143-157
- Publication date:
- 2021-03-17
- Acceptance date:
- 2021-01-21
- DOI:
- EISSN:
-
1530-9142
- ISSN:
-
0034-6535
- Language:
-
English
- Keywords:
- Pubs id:
-
1158356
- Local pid:
-
pubs:1158356
- Deposit date:
-
2021-01-25
- ARK identifier:
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Copyright date:
- 2021
- Rights statement:
- © 2021 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version will be available online from Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press.
If you are the owner of this record, you can report an update to it here: Report update to this record