Working Paper: NBER ID: w19805
Authors: Ganesh Seshan; Dean Yang
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.
Keywords: Financial Decision-Making; Transnational Households; Migrants; Financial Education
JEL Codes: C93; F24; O12; O16
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Motivational workshop (M54) | likelihood of joint decision-making on financial matters (D14) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | financial practices index of wives (G59) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | financial practices of migrants (F24) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | total household savings (D14) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | remittances sent by migrants to their wives (F24) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | savings of migrants with low baseline savings (F24) |
| Motivational workshop (M54) | savings of migrants with high baseline savings (F24) |