Exploring the Macroeconomic Determinants of Remittances in Top Remittances' Recipient Countries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31384/jisrmsse/2024.30.6.5Keywords:
macroeconomic determinants of remittances, Top remittances recipient countries, Dynamic OLS, PMGAbstract
This study aims to understand the reasons behind remittances sent by emigrants working abroad. It focuses on the top ten recipient countries, using data from the World Development Indicator (WDI) database covering 1991 to 2022. Various econometric tests were conducted to analyze the data, including descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, and unit root tests such as Breitung and Im Pesaran and Shin tests. Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) and Panel ARDL models were used to explore long-term effects and relationships between macroeconomic variables and remittances. The findings indicate that remittances are motivated by both altruism and self-interest, showing both pro- cyclical and counter-cyclical patterns. The study recommends that governments in these countries develop policies to encourage remittances through formal banking channels and registered money transfer services. It suggests implementing attractive incentives using modern technology and mobile apps, and enforcing strict measures against informal and illegal money transfer operations like hawala and hundi.
Downloads
References
Adams, R. H. (2009). The determinants of international remittances in developing countries. World Development, 37(1), 93-103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2007.11.007
Aggarwal, R., Demirgüç-Kunt, A., & Martinez Peria, M. S. (2011). Do remittances promote financial development? Evidence from a panel of developing countries. Journal of Development Economics, 96(2), 255-264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2010.10.005
Ali, H., & Murtaza, I. (2023). Determinants of remittances in Pakistan: An empirical analysis of remittances from skilled and unskilled migrants. Journal of Empirical Economics and Social Sciences, 5(1), 67–77. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46959/jeess.1187096
Amuedo-Dorantes, C., & Pozo, S. (2006). Remittances as insurance: Evidence from Mexican immigrants. Journal of Population Economics, 19(2), 227-254. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00148-006-0079-6
Banerji, A., & Chandrawanshi, A. G. (2021). A study of selective macroeconomic determinants affecting remittances to India from the USA and GCC countries. International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 29(4), 530–555. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBG.2021.120087
Bank, T. W. (2023). Debt-sustainability analysis. World Bank. Available online at https://www.worldbank.org (accessed May 25, 2024).
Barua, S., & Rafiq, F. (2020). Macroeconomic determinants of remittances and implications for economic growth: Evidence from Bangladesh. In Bangladesh’s Macroeconomic Policy: Trends, Determinants and Impact (pp. 371–392). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1244-5_14
Breitung, J. (2000). The local power of some unit root tests for panel data. Advances in Econometrics, 15, 161–177. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0731-9053(00)15006-6
Bettin, G., & Zazzaro, A. (2012). Remittances and financial development: Substitutes or complements in economic growth? Bulletin of Economic Research, 64(4), 509-536. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8586.2011.00398.x
Bouhga-Hagbe, J. (2006). Altruism and workers’ remittances: Evidence from selected countries in the Middle East and Central Asia. IMF Working Paper No. 06/130. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451863901.001
Chami, R., Hakura, D., & Montiel, P. (2009). Remittances: An automatic output stabilizer? IMF Working Paper No. 09/91. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781451872385.001
Chowdhury, M. B. (2011). Remittances flow and financial development in Bangladesh. Economic Modelling, 28(6), 2600-2608. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2011.07.013
Cox, D., & Stark, O. (1994). Intergenerational transfers and the demonstration effect. Working Papers in Economics, 304.
El-Sakka, M. I. T., & McNabb, R. (1999). The macroeconomic determinants of emigrant remittances. World Development, 27(8), 1493-1502. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0305-750X(99)00067-4
Faini, R. (2007). Remittances and the brain drain: Do more skilled migrants remit more? World Bank Economic Review, 21(2), 177-191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhm006
Fajnzylber, P., & López, J. H. (2008). The development impact of remittances in Latin America. World Development, 36(3), 339-358.
Frankel, J. (2011). Are bilateral remittances countercyclical? Open Economies Review, 22(1), 1-16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11079-010-9184-y
Funkhouser, E. (1995). Remittances from international migration: A comparison of El Salvador and Nicaragua. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 137–146. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2109999
Giuliano, P., & Ruiz-Arranz, M. (2009). Remittances, financial development, and growth. Journal of Development Economics, 90(1), 144-152. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jdeveco.2008.10.005
Hagen-Zanker, J., & Siegel, M. (2007). The determinants of remittances: A review of the literature. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1095719
Im, K. S., Pesaran, M. H., & Shin, Y. (2003). Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels. Journal of Econometrics, 115(1), 53–74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(03)00092-7
IMF. (2023). Public debt|IMF report 2023. Available online at https://www.imf.org (accessed May 20, 2024).
Javid, M., & Hasanov, F. J. (2023). Determinants of remittance outflows: The case of Saudi Arabia. OPEC Energy Review, 47(4), 320–335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/opec.12291
Jijin, P., Mishra, A. K., & Nithin, M. (2022). Macroeconomic determinants of remittances to India. Economic Change and Restructuring, 55(2), 1229–1248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10644-021-09347-3
Kapur, D. (2004). Remittances: The new development mantra? In G. M. C. Brainard (Ed.), Financing development: The future of the multilateral development banks (pp. 77-108). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press.
Khan, A., Tippu, K., Ur Rehman, S., & Ali, M. (2021). Determinants of remittances by unskilled Pakistani migrant workers. Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, 30(3), 338–356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01171968211041861
KNOWMAD. (2024). Migration and development brief 39. Available online at https://www.knowmad.org (accessed May 12, 2024).
Lucas, R. E., & Stark, O. (1985). Motivations to remit: Evidence from Botswana. Journal of Political Economy, 93(5), 901–918. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/261341
Lueth, E., & Ruiz-Arranz, M. (2008). Determinants of bilateral remittance flows. The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, 8(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1935-1690.1568
Mahmud, H. (2020). From individual motivations to social determinants: Towards a sociology of migrants’ remittances. International Social Science Journal, 70(237-238), 175–188. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/issj.12247
Meyer, D., & Shera, A. (2017). The impact of remittances on economic growth: An econometric model. EconomiA, 18(2), 147-155. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econ.2016.06.001
Mundaca, B. G. (2009). Remittances, financial market development, and economic growth: The case of Latin America and the Caribbean. Review of Development Economics, 13(2), 288-303. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9361.2008.00487.x
Orozco, M., & Fedewa, R. (2006). Leveraging efforts on remittances and financial intermediation. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 3959. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18235/0011095
Reuters. (2023). IMF-World Bank meetings, which developing countries face debt distress. Available online at https://www.reuters.com (accessed May 12, 2024).
Sayan, S. (2006). Business cycles and workers' remittances: How do migrant workers respond to cyclical movements of GDP at home? IMF Working Papers, 2006(52). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.892943
Simpson, N. B., & Sparber, C. (2020). Estimating the determinants of remittances originating from U.S. households using CPS data. Eastern Economic Journal, 46, 161–189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41302-019-00155-2
Stark, O., & Wang, Y. Q. (2002). Migration dynamics. Economics Letters, 76(2), 159–164. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0165-1765(02)00042-3
Stock, J. H., & Watson, M. W. (1993). A simple estimator of cointegrating vectors in higher order integrated systems. Econometrica, 61(4), 783–820. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2951763
Tsaurai, K., & Maseko, C. M. (2020). An empirical study of the determinants of remittances in transitional economies. Acta Universitatis Danubius. Œconomica, 16(3).
UNCTAD. (2024). A world of debt. Available online at https://www.unctad.org (accessed May 22, 2024).
Vargas-Silva, C., & Huang, P. (2006). Macroeconomic determinants of workers’ remittances: Host versus home country’s economic conditions. Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, 15(1), 81-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09638190500525779
Yang, D. (2008). International migration, remittances, and household investment: Evidence from Philippine migrants’ exchange rate shocks. The Economic Journal, 118(528), 591-630. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2008.02134.x
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Ashfaque Ali Gilal, Liu Hong

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright: The Authors











