Evidence on Policies to Increase the Development Impacts of International Migration

International migration offers individuals and their families the potential to experience immediate and large gains in their incomes, and offers a large number of other positive benefits to the sending communities and countries. However, there are also concerns about potential costs of migration, including concerns about trafficking and human rights, a desire for remittances to be used more effectively, and concerns about externalities from skilled workers being lost. As a result there is increasing interest in policies which can enhance the development benefits of international migration and mitigate these potential costs. This paper provides a critical review of recent research on the effectiveness of these policies at three stages of the migration process: pre-departure, during migration, and directed toward possible return. The existing evidence base suggests some areas of policy success: bilateral migration agreements for countries whose workers have few other migration options, developing new savings and remittance products that allow migrants more control over how their money is used, and some efforts to provide financial education to migrants and their families. Suggestive evidence together with theory offers support for a number of other policies, such as lowering the cost of remittances, reducing passport costs, offering dual citizenship, and removing exit barriers to migration. Research offers reasons to be cautious about some policies, such as enforcing strong rights for migrants like high minimum wages. Nevertheless, the paper finds the evidence base to be weak for many policies, with no reliable research on the impact of most return migration programs, nor for whether countries should be trying to induce communal remitting through matching funds.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Yang, Dean, McKenzie, David
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank Group, Washington, DC 2014-10
Subjects:	ABUSE, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, ACCESS TO SAVINGS, ACCOUNTS FOR MIGRANTS, AMOUNTS OF REMITTANCES, ASSET ACCUMULATION, ASYLUM, ASYLUM SEEKERS, ASYLUM-SEEKERS, ASYMMETRIC INFORMATION, ATM CARD, BANK ACCOUNT, BANKS, BENEFITS OF MIGRATION, BRAIN DRAIN, CAPITA INCOME, CAPITAL INVESTMENTS, CASH TRANSFERS, CITIZEN, CITIZENS, CITIZENSHIP, COLLECTIVE REMITTANCES, COMMUNAL REMITTANCES, COMMUNITIES OF ORIGIN, CONSULAR IDENTITY CARD, COST OF REMITTANCES, COUNSELLING, COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN, COUNTRY OF ORIGIN, CREDIT UNIONS, DEBT, DEBT MANAGEMENT, DEPOSIT, DESTINATION COUNTRY, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT BANK, DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, EARNINGS, ECONOMIC RIGHT, EMIGRATION, EMPLOYER, EMPLOYERS, ENROLLMENT, EQUAL TREATMENT, EXCHANGE RATE, EXPATRIATE NATIONALS, EXPLOITATION, FACILITATION, FAMILIES, FAMILY MEMBERS, FAMILY REMITTANCES, FINANCIAL ACCESS, FINANCIAL EDUCATION, FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE, FINANCIAL LITERACY, FINANCIAL LITERACY TRAINING, FINANCIAL PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL SERVICES, FIXED COST, FLOWS OF REMITTANCES, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, FORMAL SAVINGS, HEALTH CENTERS, HOME COMMUNITIES, HOME COUNTRIES, HOME COUNTRY, HOST COUNTRIES, HOST COUNTRY, HOUSEHOLD INVESTMENTS, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLDS, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, IDENTITY DOCUMENTS, IMMIGRANT, IMMIGRANT POPULATION, IMMIGRANTS, IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION POLICIES, IMMIGRATION POLICY, INCOME, INCOMES, INCREASE IN REMITTANCES, INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES, INTERNAL MIGRATION, INTERNAL MIGRATION POLICIES, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION POLICY, INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER, INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, JOB-SEEKERS, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MIGRANTS, LABOR SUPPLY, LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY, LEGAL BARRIERS, LOCAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, MATCHING FUNDS, MENTAL HEALTH, MICRO-LENDING, MIGRANT, MIGRANT ACCESS, MIGRANT ASSOCIATIONS, MIGRANT POPULATIONS, MIGRANT REMITTANCE, MIGRANT REMITTANCES, MIGRANT WORKER, MIGRANT WORKERS, MIGRANT-SENDING COUNTRIES, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION FLOWS, MIGRATION POLICIES, MIGRATION POLICY, MIGRATION PROCESS, MINIMUM WAGE, MINIMUM WAGES, MONEY TRANSFER COMPANY, MONEY TRANSFER MARKET, MONEY TRANSFER OPERATOR, MONEY TRANSFER ORGANIZATIONS, MONEY TRANSMITTERS, MOTHER, NATIONAL GOVERNMENT, NATIONALS, NATIVE WORKERS, NUMBER OF MIGRANTS, NUMBER OF PEOPLE, NUMBER OF WORKERS, OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUALS, PARTNER BANK, PEACE, PERMANENT RESIDENCE, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POTENTIAL MIGRANTS, PRIMARY SCHOOL, PRIVATE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, PROGRESS, PUBLIC EDUCATION, REFUGEES, REMITTANCE, REMITTANCE CHANNELS, REMITTANCE CLIENTS, REMITTANCE COSTS, REMITTANCE FLOWS, REMITTANCE PRODUCT, REMITTANCE PRODUCTS, REMITTANCE RECEIPTS, REMITTANCE RECEIVERS, REMITTANCE RECIPIENTS, REMITTANCE SENDERS, REMITTANCE SENDING, REMITTANCE SENDING COUNTRIES, REMITTANCE SERVICES, REMITTANCE TRANSACTION, REMITTANCE TRANSACTIONS, REMITTANCE TRANSFERS, REMITTANCES, REMITTERS, RESIDENCE STATUS, RETURN MIGRANTS, RETURN MIGRATION, RETURNEES, RIGHTS OF WOMEN, SANITATION, SAVINGS, SAVINGS ACCESS, SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, SAVINGS FACILITIES, SAVINGS PRODUCTS, SAVINGS SERVICES, SCHOOL YEAR, SKILLED MIGRANTS, SKILLED PERSONS, SKILLED WORKERS, SMALL ENTERPRISES, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, SOCIAL NETWORK, SOCIAL RIGHTS, SOCIAL SECTOR, SPECIFIC REMITTANCE, SPOUSE, SPOUSES, SUPPLY CHAINS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, TECHNICAL SKILLS, TRADE UNIONS, TRANSFER MECHANISMS, TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE, TRANSPORTATION, TREATIES, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNION, USE OF REMITTANCES, USES OF REMITTANCES, VOLUME OF REMITTANCES, VOUCHER, VULNERABLE GROUPS,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/10/20272192/evidence-policies-increase-development-impacts-international-migration https://hdl.handle.net/10986/20505
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