%0 Report
        %A Batista, Catia
%A Umblijs, Janis
        %T Do Migrants Send Remittances as a Way of Self-Insurance? Evidence from a Representative Immigrant Survey
        %D 2014
        %8 2014 Feb
        %I Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        %C Bonn
        %7 IZA Discussion Paper
        %N 7984
        %U https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp7984
        %X Do migrants send remittances as a way of obtaining insurance? While this motive is theoretically suggested in the literature, the question of identifying this relationship empirically has only begun to be explored. Using a unique representative survey of 1500 immigrants in the Greater Dublin Area, Ireland, we find a positive and significant relationship between risk aversion and remittance behavior. Risk-averse individuals are more likely to send remittances home and are, on average, likely to remit a higher amount, after controlling for a broad range of individual and group characteristics. Consistent with a "purchase of self-insurance" motive to remit, we also provide evidence of more remittances sent by risk averse immigrants facing higher wage risks and remitting to individuals with more financial resources.
        %K migration
%K risk aversion
%K remittances
%K insurance