Three essays on migration, private remittances and economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The three essays composing this thesis make contributions to the literature on the consequences of migration and private transfers on the economic development of the countries of origin of sub-Saharan Africa.The first essay evaluates the distributive impact of international and domestic transfersin Senegal. The results show that private transfers reduce income inequality in Senegal. This equalizing effect is mainly driven bydomestic transfers. The second essay examines the insurance function of migration in Mali. We find that migration acts as an insurance mechanism when the household suffers an idiosyncratic shock during the year. The third essay examines the link between the human capital of Senegalese migrants and their integration into the destination labor market. The results suggest that the probability of being in skilled employment given the level of education is lower in migration compared to Senegal. Although a priori distinct, the three essays have in common an approach that mobilizes household surveys and various microeconometric techniques to deal with the complexity of migration in order to improve the understanding of the consequences of migration on the economies of origines