Motivating migrants: A field experiment on financial decision-making in transnational households

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Seshan, Ganesh; Yang, Dean
• 署名单位: Qatar Foundation (QF); Georgetown University in Qatar; University of Michigan System; University of Michigan; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0304-3878
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2014.01.005
• 发表日期: 2014
• 页码: 119-127
• 关键词: Financial education; international migration; Financial decision-making; savings; remittances; INDIA; Qatar

摘要

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. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.