Essays on the use of external revenues in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

In recent years, the number of households relying on external assistance to meet their daily needs has steadily increasedin Sub-Saharan Africa. However, how this income is perceived and used by recipients in this region remains unknown.This thesis aims to fill this gap by examining how recipients in Sub-Saharan Africa use external income.The first two chapters of the thesis focus on migrant remittances, while the final chapter examines the impact of natural resource rents. Specifically, the first chapter explores the effect of international remittances on entrepreneurship and business activities in SSA countries. The second chapter analyzes the redistributive nature of international remittancesin Senegal. In particular, I examine whether recipients are more likely to share these remittances at the domestic level. Inthe final chapter, I assess how the oil boom favours schooling decisions in Chad.