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Migration and resilience during a global crisis

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  • Barker, Nathan
  • Davis, C. Austin
  • López-Peña, Paula
  • Mitchell, Harrison
  • Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq
  • Naguib, Karim
  • Reimão, Maira Emy
  • Shenoy, Ashish
  • Vernot, Corey

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between migration and household resilience during a global crisis that eliminated the option to migrate. We link prior data from four populations in Bangladesh and Nepal to new phone surveys conducted during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. While earnings fell universally, pandemic-induced declines were 14%–25% greater among previously migration-dependent households and urban migrant workers, with household remittance losses far exceeding official statistics. Heightened economic exposure during the pandemic erased prior gains achieved by transnational migrants and caused fourfold greater prevalence of food insecurity among domestic subsistence migrants. Economic distress spilled over onto non-migrants in high-migration villages and labor markets. We show that migration contributed to economic contagion independent of its role in disease transmission. Losing the option to migrate differentially increased the vulnerability of migration-dependent households during a crisis.

Suggested Citation

  • Barker, Nathan & Davis, C. Austin & López-Peña, Paula & Mitchell, Harrison & Mobarak, Ahmed Mushfiq & Naguib, Karim & Reimão, Maira Emy & Shenoy, Ashish & Vernot, Corey, 2023. "Migration and resilience during a global crisis," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eecrev:v:158:y:2023:i:c:s0014292123001538
    DOI: 10.1016/j.euroecorev.2023.104524
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    Cited by:

    1. Fasani, Francesco & Mazza, Jacopo, 2020. "Immigrant Key Workers: Their Contribution to Europe's COVID-19 Response," IZA Policy Papers 155, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration; Risk management; South Asia; COVID-19;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G52 - Financial Economics - - Household Finance - - - Insurance
    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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