The Development Impact of a Best Practice Seasonal Worker Policy

Seasonal migration programs are widely used around the world, and are increasingly seen as offering a potential "triple-win"-- benefiting the migrant, sending country, and receiving country. Yet there is a dearth of rigorous evidence as to their development impact, and concerns about whether the time periods involved are too short to realize much in the way of benefits, and whether poorer, less skilled households actually get to participate in such programs. This paper studies the development impacts of a recently introduced seasonal worker program that has been deemed to be "best practice." New Zealand's Recognized Seasonal Employer program was launched in 2007 with an explicit focus on development in the Pacific alongside the aim of benefiting employers at home. A multi-year prospective evaluation allows measurement of the impact of participation in this program on households and communities in Tonga and Vanuatu. Using a matched difference-in-differences analysis based on detailed surveys fielded before, during, and after participation, the authors find that the Recognized Seasonal Employer program has indeed had largely positive development impacts. It has increased income and consumption of households, allowed households to purchase more durable goods, increased the subjective standard of living, and had additional benefits at the community level. It also increased child schooling in Tonga. This should rank it among the most effective development policies evaluated to date. The policy was designed as a best practice example based on lessons elsewhere, and now should serve as a model for other countries to follow.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Gibson, John, McKenzie, David
Language:	English
Published:	2010-11-01
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, ALCOHOL, ALCOHOLICS, ASSET PURCHASE, BENEFITS OF MIGRATION, BULLETIN, CAPITA CONSUMPTION, CAPITA EXPENDITURE, COMMUNITIES, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, COMMUNITY LEVEL, COMMUNITY RELATIONS, CONSEQUENCES OF MIGRATION, DESCRIPTION, DEVELOPMENT INTERVENTIONS, DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES, DEVELOPMENT POLICIES, DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH GROUP, DISSEMINATION, DISTRICT LEVEL, DIVORCE, DURABLE GOODS, DWELLING, DWELLINGS, EARLY CHILDHOOD, ECONOMETRICS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, EXCESS DEMAND, FAMILIES, FAMILY MEMBERS, GLOBAL COMMISSION, GLOBAL COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, HEALTH INSURANCE, HOME IMPROVEMENT, HOUSEHOLD ASSETS, HOUSEHOLD INCOME, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSEHOLD-LEVEL, HOUSEHOLDS, HOUSES, HOUSING, HUSBANDS, ILLNESS, IMMIGRATION, IMPACT ON CHILDREN, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION POLICY, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, INTERVENTION, INTERVENTIONS, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, LABOR MARKETS, LABOR MOBILITY, LABOR SHORTAGES, LABOUR MOBILITY, LACK OF INFORMATION, LIFE EXPECTANCY, MIGRANT, MIGRANT WORKERS, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MIGRATION PROCESS, MINORITY, MOBILITY, NATIONAL GOVERNMENTS, NATIONALS, NUMBER OF ADULTS, NUMBER OF WORKERS, NUTRITION, PER CAPITA INCOME, PER CAPITA INCOMES, PHYSICAL WORK, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POOR PEOPLE, POSITIVE EFFECTS, POVERTY REDUCTION, PRIMARY SCHOOLING, RADIO, RECREATION, REMITTANCE, REMITTANCES, RURAL AREAS, SCHOOL AGE, SCHOOL ATTENDANCE, SCHOOL ENROLMENT, SCHOOL ENROLMENTS, SECONDARY ENROLMENT, SECONDARY SCHOOL, SKILL DEVELOPMENT, SKILLED MIGRANTS, SKILLED WORKERS, SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, STANDARD DEVIATION, STANDARD ERRORS, STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE, SUBSISTENCE FARMING, TELEVISION, TEMPORARY MIGRATION, TRANSPORTATION, TV, URBAN AREAS, VILLAGES, WAGE RATES, WAGES, WORKFORCE, YOUNG CHILDREN,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101130131212 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3970
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