Evidence on Policies to Increase the Development Impacts of International Migration

McKenzie, David ; Yang, Dean

World Bank Group, Washington, DC

关键词: ABUSE;    ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES;    ACCESS TO SAVINGS;    ACCOUNTS FOR MIGRANTS;    AMOUNTS OF REMITTANCES;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-7057
RP-ID  :  WPS7057

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

International migration offersindividuals and their families the potential to experienceimmediate and large gains in their incomes, and offers alarge number of other positive benefits to the sendingcommunities and countries. However, there are also concernsabout potential costs of migration, including concerns abouttrafficking and human rights, a desire for remittances to beused more effectively, and concerns about externalities fromskilled workers being lost. As a result there is increasinginterest in policies which can enhance the developmentbenefits of international migration and mitigate thesepotential costs. This paper provides a critical review ofrecent research on the effectiveness of these policies atthree stages of the migration process: pre-departure, duringmigration, and directed toward possible return. The existingevidence base suggests some areas of policy success:bilateral migration agreements for countries whose workershave few other migration options, developing new savings andremittance products that allow migrants more control overhow their money is used, and some efforts to providefinancial education to migrants and their families.Suggestive evidence together with theory offers support fora number of other policies, such as lowering the cost ofremittances, reducing passport costs, offering dualcitizenship, and removing exit barriers to migration.Research offers reasons to be cautious about some policies,such as enforcing strong rights for migrants like highminimum wages. Nevertheless, the paper finds the evidencebase to be weak for many policies, with no reliable researchon the impact of most return migration programs, nor forwhether countries should be trying to induce communalremitting through matching funds.