Why do migrants remit? Testing hypotheses for the case of Morocco

Bouoiyour, Jamal; Miftah, Amal

Bouoiyour, Jamal; Miftah, Amal (2015), Why do migrants remit? Testing hypotheses for the case of Morocco, IZA Journal of Migration, 4, 2, p. 20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40176-014-0027-2

Type

Article accepté pour publication ou publié

External document link

http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40176-014-0027-2

Date

2015

Journal name

IZA Journal of Migration

Volume

Number

Publisher

Springer

Abstract (EN)

We use Moroccan data to study the determinants of international migrants’ remittances, testing the altruistic and welfare hypotheses. In particular, we analyze and assess what motivates migrants to send remittances back home. Our results lend support to the altruistic hypothesis suggesting that remittances are sent to households with low levels of welfare. Furthermore, the decision to remit is intensely associated to individual characteristics such as migrant income, gender and age. Likewise, remittances may be viewed as loan repayment if the migration costs were borne by the remittance-receiving family.

Subjects / Keywords

International migration; Migrants’ remittances; Individual-level remittance data; Morocco

JEL

F22 - International Migration
J61 - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics
D91 - Intertemporal Household Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving
O55 - Africa