Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP7759
Authors: Kathleen Beegle; Joachim De Weerdt; Stefan Dercon
Abstract: This study explores to what extent migration has contributed to improved living standards of individuals in Tanzania. Using a 13-year panel survey, the authors find that migration between 1991 and 2004 added 36 percentage points to consumption growth. Although moving out of agriculture resulted in much higher growth than staying in agriculture, growth was always greater in any sector if the individual physically moved. As to why more people do not move give high returns to geographical mobility, analysis finds evidence consistent with models in which exit barriers set by home communities prevent the migration of some categories of people.
Keywords: Africa; Growth; Migration; Tracking Survey
JEL Codes: O12; O15; R23
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| migration (F22) | consumption growth (E20) |
| migration (F22) | poverty rate decrease (I32) |
| non-migration (F22) | poverty rate decrease (I32) |
| migrated out of agriculture (F22) | consumption growth (E20) |