Remittances and the Brain Drain Revisited : The Microdata Show That More Educated Migrants Remit More

Bollard, Albert ; McKenzie, David ; Morten, Melanie ; Rapoport, Hillel

关键词: AMOUNT OF REMITTANCES;    ANNUAL REMITTANCES;    BANK ACCOUNTS;    BEQUESTS;    BRAIN DRAIN;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-5113
RP-ID  :  WPS5113

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Two of the most salient trendssurrounding the issue of migration and development over thepast two decades are the large rise in remittances, and anincreased flow of skilled migration. However, recentliterature based on cross-country regressions has claimedthat more educated migrants remit less, leading to concernsthat further increases in skilled migration will hamperremittance growth. This paper revisits the relationshipbetween education and remitting behavior using microdatafrom surveys of immigrants in 11 major destinationcountries. The data show a mixed pattern between educationand the likelihood of remitting, and a strong positiverelationship between education and the amount remittedconditional on remitting. Combining these intensive andextensive margins gives an overall positive effect ofeducation on the amount remitted. The microdata then allowinvestigation as to why the more educated remit more. Theanalysis finds that the higher income earned by migrants,rather than characteristics of their family situations,explains much of the higher remittances.