Rural-­Urban Migration and Remittances in Vietnam: Evidence from Migrant Tracer Data

University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Staff Paper No. 581, 2016

28 Pages Posted: 21 Mar 2016

See all articles by Diep N. Phan

Diep N. Phan

Beloit College Economics Department

Ian Coxhead

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics; Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO)

Date Written: March 10, 2016

Abstract

We examine remittance behavior of rural-urban migrants in Vietnam using a unique data set that links the 2012 round of the Vietnam Household Living Standards Survey (VHLSS) with a 2013 tracer study of migrants from VHLSS households. We estimate factors associated with remittances, taking migrant selection issues into account. We also estimate impacts of net remittances on per capita income in migrant-sending rural households, taking into account the endogeneity of remittances. We find that migration and remittances increase the incomes of rural households. However, the estimated direct income effects are small, and become smaller still as migrants become more established in their new place of residence. Members of ethnic minority groups gain far less than others from migration and remittances. More data and research are needed to broaden these assessments to include non-economic benefits and costs of migration.

Keywords: Migration, remittances, selection, Vietnam

JEL Classification: O15, R23, J61

Suggested Citation

Phan, Diep N. and Coxhead, Ian, Rural-­Urban Migration and Remittances in Vietnam: Evidence from Migrant Tracer Data (March 10, 2016). University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics, Staff Paper No. 581, 2016, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2751939 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2751939

Diep N. Phan

Beloit College Economics Department ( email )

Beloit, WI 53511
United States
6083632113 (Phone)

Ian Coxhead (Contact Author)

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Department of Agricultural & Applied Economics ( email )

427 Lorch St.
Madison, WI 53706-1503
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.aae.wisc.edu/coxhead

Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) ( email )

3-2-2 Wakaba, Mihama-ku
Chiba, 261-8545
Japan

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

Paper statistics

Downloads
131
Abstract Views
779
Rank
392,806
PlumX Metrics