IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/pugtwp/331555.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

International Migration, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the Money Metric of Welfare Gains

Author

Listed:
  • Timmer, Hans
  • van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique

Abstract

This paper argues that the rise in real global income as a result of migration from low-income countries to high-income countries overestimates the money metric of global welfare gains by at least a factor of two. This is contrary to the analysis of trade policies where the rise in real income, calculated according to national accounting convention, does provide an accurate estimate of the money metric of welfare gains. The complication in migration scenarios arises because the price changes that a migrant experiences, as prices of non-tradable goods differ significantly between the host and home countries, are not represented in the deflators of the host country, but should be taken into account in the money metric of the welfare change of the migrant. Adjustment of real income of migrants using purchasing-powerparity (PPP) adjustment factors provides a good approximation of the money metric of welfare gains. The correct application of the money metric of welfare produces in the case of migration a counterintuitive example of money transfers that increase the money metric of global welfare. Remittances by migrants back to their home country should not be PPP-adjusted, as those who remain in the host country, do not experience a significant change in prices. Because income of new migrants that is not remitted home should be PPP-adjusted, remittances by new migrants increase global welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Timmer, Hans & van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique, 2006. "International Migration, Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) and the Money Metric of Welfare Gains," Conference papers 331555, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:pugtwp:331555
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/331555/files/2713.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Howe, Howard, 1975. "Development of the extended linear expenditure system from simple saving assumptions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 6(3), pages 305-310, July.
    2. Feldstein, Martin & Horioka, Charles, 1980. "Domestic Saving and International Capital Flows," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 90(358), pages 314-329, June.
    3. Michael A. Kouparitsas, 2004. "How worrisome is the U.S. net foreign debt position?," Chicago Fed Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, issue May.
    4. Hertel, Thomas, 1997. "Global Trade Analysis: Modeling and applications," GTAP Books, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, number 7685, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jean Foure & Angel Aguiar & Ruben Bibas & Jean Chateau & Shinichiro Fujimori & Julien Lefevre & Marian Leimbach & Luis Rey-Los-Santos & Hugo Valin, 2020. "Macroeconomic Drivers of Baseline Scenarios in Dynamic CGE models: Review and Guidelines Proposal," Journal of Global Economic Analysis, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, vol. 5(1), pages 28-62, June.
    2. Lee, Hiro & van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique, 2005. "The impact of the US safeguard measures on Northeast Asian producers: General equilibrium assessments," MPRA Paper 82288, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Javier Ferri & Antonio G. Gómez-Plana & Joan Martín-Montaner, "undated". "International inmigration and mobility across sectors: an exploration of alternative scenarios for Spain," Studies on the Spanish Economy 124, FEDEA.
    4. Aguiar, Angel & Corong, Erwin & van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique, 2020. "The GTAP Recursive Dynamic (GTAP-RD) Model: Version 1.0," Conference papers 333133, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    5. Erwin Corong & Thomas Hertel & Robert McDougall & Marinos Tsigas & Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, 2017. "The Standard GTAP Model, version 7," Journal of Global Economic Analysis, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, vol. 2(1), pages 1-119, June.
    6. Roland-Holst, David & Mensbrugghe, Dominique van der & Tarp, Finn & Rand, John & Barslund, Mikkel, 2002. "Prototype Specification for a Real Computable General Equilibrium Model," MPRA Paper 29788, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Kym Anderson & Will Martin & Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, 2006. "Doha Merchandise Trade Reform: What Is at Stake for Developing Countries?," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 20(2), pages 169-195.
    8. Nabil Annabi & John Cockburn & Bernard Decaluwé, 2006. "Functional Forms and Parametrization of CGE Models," Working Papers MPIA 2006-04, PEP-MPIA.
    9. Alpay, Savas, 2003. "How Can Trade Liberalization Be Conducive to a Better Environment?," Conference papers 331113, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    10. George Verikios & Kevin Hanslow, 2009. "The Long-run Effects of Structural Change and the Treatment of International Capital Accumulation, Mobility and Ownership," Global Economic Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(3), pages 229-250.
    11. Javier Ferri & Antonio G. Gómez-Plana & Joan A. Martín-Montaner, 2006. "Illegal immigration booms and welfare in the host country," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 353-370, December.
    12. Lakatos, Csilla & Walmsley, Terrie, 2012. "Investment creation and diversion effects of the ASEAN–China free trade agreement," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 766-779.
    13. Hertel, Thomas, 2013. "Global Applied General Equilibrium Analysis Using the Global Trade Analysis Project Framework," Handbook of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling, in: Peter B. Dixon & Dale Jorgenson (ed.), Handbook of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 815-876, Elsevier.
    14. Anderson, Kym & Martin, Will & van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique, 2013. "Estimating Effects of Price-Distorting Policies Using Alternative Distortions Databases," Handbook of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling, in: Peter B. Dixon & Dale Jorgenson (ed.), Handbook of Computable General Equilibrium Modeling, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 877-931, Elsevier.
    15. Kym Anderson & Will Martin & Dominique van der Mensbrugghe, 2006. "Distortions to World Trade: Impacts on Agricultural Markets and Farm Incomes," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 28(2), pages 168-194.
    16. Terrie Walmsley, 1998. "LONG-RUN SIMULATIONS WITH GTAP: Illustrative Results from APEC Trade Liberalisation," Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre Working Papers ip-70, Victoria University, Centre of Policy Studies/IMPACT Centre.
    17. Jie He & David Roland-Holst, 2010. "Economic Growth, Energy demand and Atmospheric Pollution: Challenges and Opportunities for China in the future 30 years," Cahiers de recherche 10-11, Departement d'économique de l'École de gestion à l'Université de Sherbrooke.
    18. McKibbin, Warwick J. & Wilcoxen, Peter J., 1998. "The theoretical and empirical structure of the G-Cubed model," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 16(1), pages 123-148, January.
    19. Sherman Robinson & Zhi Wang & Will Martin, 2002. "Capturing the Implications of Services Trade Liberalization," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 3-33.
    20. Ianchovichina, Elena & McDougall, Robert, 2000. "Theoretical Structure Of Dynamic Gtap," Technical Papers 28723, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ags:pugtwp:331555. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/gtpurus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.