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A Land of Milk and Honey with Streets Paved with Gold : Do Emigrants Have Over-Optimistic Expectations about Incomes Abroad?

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dc.contributor.authorGibson, John
dc.contributor.authorMcKenzie, David
dc.contributor.authorStillman, Steven
dc.date.accessioned2012-06-05T18:56:57Z
dc.date.available2012-06-05T18:56:57Z
dc.date.issued2007-03
dc.description.abstractMillions of people emigrate every year in search of better economic and social opportunities. Anecdotal evidence suggests that emigrants may have over-optimistic expectations about the incomes they can earn abroad, resulting in excessive migration pressure, and in disappointment among those who do migrate. Yet there is almost no statistical evidence on how accurately these emigrants predict the incomes that they will earn working abroad. In this paper the authors combine a natural emigration experiment with unique survey data on would-be emigrants' probabilistic expectations about employment and incomes in the migration destination. Their procedure enables them to obtain moments and quantiles of the subjective distribution of expected earnings in the destination country. The authors find a significant underestimation of both unconditional and conditional labor earnings at all points in the distribution. This underestimation appears driven in part by potential migrants placing too much weight on the negative employment experiences of some migrants, and by inaccurate information flows from extended family, who may be trying to moderate remittance demands by understating incomes.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/03/7405775/land-milk-honey-streets-paved-gold-emigrants-over-optimistic-expectations-incomes-abroad
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-4141
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/7161
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Paper; No. 4141
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectCHILD MORTALITY
dc.subjectCITIZEN
dc.subjectDEPENDENT CHILDREN
dc.subjectDESTINATION COUNTRY
dc.subjectDEVELOPING COUNTRIES
dc.subjectDIASPORA
dc.subjectDISTRIBUTION OF WAGES
dc.subjectEARNING
dc.subjectEARNINGS
dc.subjectEARNINGS DISTRIBUTION
dc.subjectEARNINGS OF IMMIGRANTS
dc.subjectECONOMIC MIGRANTS
dc.subjectEMIGRATION
dc.subjectEMPLOYMENT PROBABILITIES
dc.subjectEMPLOYMENT STATUS
dc.subjectEXPECTED WAGE
dc.subjectEXTENDED FAMILY
dc.subjectFAMILY MEMBERS
dc.subjectFAMILY REUNIFICATION
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD INCOME
dc.subjectHOUSEHOLD SURVEY
dc.subjectIMMIGRANT
dc.subjectIMMIGRANTS
dc.subjectIMMIGRATION
dc.subjectIMMIGRATION QUOTA
dc.subjectINCOMES
dc.subjectJOB OFFER
dc.subjectJOB OFFERS
dc.subjectJOB OPPORTUNITIES
dc.subjectJOBS
dc.subjectLABOR MARKET
dc.subjectLABOR MARKET INFORMATION
dc.subjectLABOUR
dc.subjectLABOUR MARKET
dc.subjectLABOUR MARKET INFORMATION
dc.subjectLARGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
dc.subjectLOTTERY
dc.subjectLOW EMPLOYMENT
dc.subjectMIGRANT
dc.subjectMIGRANT NETWORKS
dc.subjectMIGRATION
dc.subjectMIGRATION PROCESS
dc.subjectMOTHER
dc.subjectNEW ZEALAND DOLLARS
dc.subjectPOLICY CHANGE
dc.subjectPOLICY RESEARCH
dc.subjectPOLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER
dc.subjectPOTENTIAL MIGRANTS
dc.subjectPROGRESS
dc.subjectPUBLIC POLICY
dc.subjectPUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS
dc.subjectREMITTANCE
dc.subjectREMITTANCES
dc.subjectRESPECT
dc.subjectSEX
dc.subjectSKILLED MIGRANTS
dc.subjectSOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES
dc.subjectSOCIAL PROBLEMS
dc.subjectSPOUSE
dc.subjectTELEVISION
dc.subjectUNEMPLOYMENT
dc.subjectUNEMPLOYMENT RATE
dc.subjectUNEMPLOYMENT RATES
dc.subjectWAGE DISTRIBUTION
dc.subjectWAGE GROWTH
dc.subjectWAGES
dc.subjectWEALTH
dc.subjectWORKERS
dc.subjectYOUNG PEOPLE
dc.titleA Land of Milk and Honey with Streets Paved with Gold : Do Emigrants Have Over-Optimistic Expectations about Incomes Abroad?en
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crosscuttingsolutionareaJobs
okr.crossref.titleA Land Of Milk And Honey With Streets Paved With Gold : Do Emigrants Have Over-Optimistic Expectations About Incomes Abroad ?
okr.date.doiregistration2025-04-10T10:03:23.060637Z
okr.doctypePublications & Research::Policy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2007/03/7405775/land-milk-honey-streets-paved-gold-emigrants-over-optimistic-expectations-incomes-abroad
okr.globalpracticeMacroeconomics and Fiscal Management
okr.globalpracticeSocial Protection and Labor
okr.globalpracticeFinance and Markets
okr.globalpracticeHealth, Nutrition, and Population
okr.guid914061468137711339
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-4141
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum000016406_20070221115649
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum7405775
okr.identifier.reportWPS4141
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2007/02/21/000016406_20070221115649/Rendered/PDF/wps4141.pdfen
okr.topicMacroeconomics and Economic Growth::Remittances
okr.topicEconomic Theory and Research
okr.topicHealth, Nutrition and Population::Population Policies
okr.topicSocial Protections and Labor::Labor Markets
okr.topicFiscal and Monetary Policy
okr.unitDevelopment Research Group (DECRG)
okr.volume1 of 1
relation.isAuthorOfPublication148d6d6d-76e5-5d6f-9af9-98313e30551f
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery148d6d6d-76e5-5d6f-9af9-98313e30551f
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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