Motivating Migrants: A Field Experiment on Financial Decision-Making in Transnational Households

24 Pages Posted: 17 Jan 2014 Last revised: 12 Feb 2023

See all articles by Ganesh K. Seshan

Ganesh K. Seshan

World Bank

Dean Yang

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: January 2014

Abstract

We randomly assigned male migrant workers in Qatar invitations to a motivational workshop aimed at improving financial habits and encouraging joint decision-making with spouses back home in India. 13-17 months later, we surveyed migrants and wives to estimate intent-to-treat impacts in their transnational households. Wives of treated migrants changed their financial practices, and became more likely to seek out financial education themselves. Treated migrants and their wives became more likely to make joint decisions on money matters. Treatment effects on financial outcomes show potential heterogeneity, with those with lower prior savings saving differentially more than those with higher prior savings.

Suggested Citation

Seshan, Ganesh K. and Yang, Dean and Yang, Dean, Motivating Migrants: A Field Experiment on Financial Decision-Making in Transnational Households (January 2014). NBER Working Paper No. w19805, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2380437

Ganesh K. Seshan (Contact Author)

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Dean Yang

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy ( email )

440 Lorch Hall
611 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
United States
734-764-6158 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.umich.edu/~deanyang/

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics

611 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
24
Abstract Views
498
PlumX Metrics