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Remittances and Social Spending

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  • DOYLE, DAVID

Abstract

Remittances are a significant source of foreign exchange for developing economies. I argue that remittances, due to their compensation and insurance functions, will increase the general income level and economic security of recipients, thereby reducing their perceived income risk. Over time, this will dampen demand from recipients for government taxation and social insurance. Therefore, I expect increases in income remitted to an economy to result in reduced levels of social welfare transfers at the macro-level. This dynamic can help us to understand spending patterns in developing democracies, and the absence of demand for social security transfers in countries with high levels of inequality and economic insecurity. I test this argument with a sample of 18 Latin American states, over the period 1990 to 2009, and subject the central causal mechanism to a battery of statistical tests. The results of these tests provide strong support for this argument.

Suggested Citation

  • Doyle, David, 2015. "Remittances and Social Spending," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 109(4), pages 785-802, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:109:y:2015:i:04:p:785-802_00
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    Cited by:

    1. Nadia Eldemerdash & Steven T. Landis, 2023. "The Divergent Effects of Remittance Transfers for Post-Disaster States," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 7(3), pages 483-501, November.
    2. ISLAM, MD. Rubel & LEE, Kang-Kook, 2023. "Do Foreign Remittances Promote Democracy? A Dynamic Panel Study of Developing Countries," Hitotsubashi Journal of Economics, Hitotsubashi University, vol. 64(1), pages 59-85, June.
    3. Catia Batista & Julia Seither & Pedro C. Vicente, 2017. "Migration, political institutions, and social networks," NOVAFRICA Working Paper Series wp1701, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Nova School of Business and Economics, NOVAFRICA.
    4. Stephanie J. Rickard & Teri L. Caraway, 2019. "International demands for austerity: Examining the impact of the IMF on the public sector," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 14(1), pages 35-57, March.
    5. Mitra, Aniruddha & Bang, James T. & Abbas, Faisal, 2021. "Do remittances reduce women’s acceptance of domestic violence? Evidence from Pakistan," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    6. Ambrosius, Christian, 2019. "Government reactions to private substitutes for public goods: Remittances and the crowding-out of public finance," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 396-415.
    7. Hannes Warnecke-Berger, 2022. "The financialization of remittances and the individualization of development: A new power geometry of global development," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 54(4), pages 702-721, June.
    8. Batista, Catia & Seither, Julia & Vicente, Pedro C., 2019. "Do migrant social networks shape political attitudes and behavior at home?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 328-343.
    9. Abreham Adera, 2023. "Do migrant remittances have state de-legitimizing tendencies? A micro-survey based evidence from Africa," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 2197323-219, December.
    10. Regan Deonanan & Benjamin Ramkissoon, 2024. "How Do Remittances Affect Child Mortality at Different Levels of Mortality? Estimating Unconditional Quantile Treatment Effects on Three Leading Causes of Child Mortality," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, June.
    11. Matthew Hoye, J., 2022. "Famine, remittances, and global justice," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 27(C).
    12. Faisal Z. Ahmed, 2017. "Remittances and incumbency: Theory and evidence," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 22-47, March.
    13. Kabajulizi, Judith & Boysen, Ole, 2021. "The macroeconomic implications of COVID-19 pandemic and associated policies: An economy-wide analysis of Uganda," Conference papers 333310, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    14. Rickard, Stephanie J. & Caraway, Teri L., 2019. "International demands for austerity: examining the impact of the IMF on the public sector," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 86636, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Judith Kabajulizi, 2023. "The macroeconomic implications of disease pandemics in developing countries: An application of Covid‐19 in Uganda," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 35(6), pages 1254-1286, August.
    16. Ramkissoon, Benjamin & Deonanan, Regan, 2023. "How do remittances impact child mortality and are there preconditions?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    17. Meseguer, Covadonga & Lavezzolo, Sebastián & Aparicio, Javier, 2016. "Financial remittances, trans-border conversations, and the state," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 68273, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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