Should I Stay or Should I Go? : Internal Migration and Household Welfare in Ghana

Molini, Vasco ; Pavelesku, Dan ; Ranzani, Marco

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: internal migration;    consumption;    household welfare;    living standards;    brain drain;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7752
RP-ID  :  WPS7752

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This papers investigates to what extentinternal migration contributes to improving households'welfare in Ghana. Using the most recent and nationallyrepresentative household survey (Ghana Living StandardsSurvey 2012/13), the estimates indicate that on averagemigration increases consumption significantly, and theeffect is driven by households migrating from inland regionsto the coastal areas of the country. The analysis also findsheterogeneous effects by gender and educational attainment,with migrant households headed by males and highly educatedindividuals faring significantly better than migranthouseholds headed by females and low-educated individuals.The paper shows convincing evidence that the positive impactof migration on consumption is attributable to a physicalmobility effect rather than changes in labor force status orsector of economic activity. However, the migration processin Ghana has important downsides, such as the brain drainand disruption of the social fabric in the communitiesoriginating migration. Future research in this area iswarranted to have a more comprehensive picture of the socialimpact of migration in Ghana.