TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Batista, Catia
AU  - Umblijs, Janis
        TI  - Do Migrants Send Remittances as a Way of Self-Insurance? Evidence from a Representative Immigrant Survey
        PY  - 2014/Feb/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 7984
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/index.php/publications/dp7984
        AB  - 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.
        KW  - migration
KW  - risk aversion
KW  - remittances
KW  - insurance
        ER  -