Impact of Temporary External Migration & Remittances on Child Health Outcomes in Punjab

Abstract

Temporary migration in developing countries like Pakistan is generally in response to the income constraint faced by the households. In an attempt to relax the resource constraint, migrants tend to remit back to their families of origin. This study attempts to look at the impact of temporary external migration and remittances on the health outcomes of children as measured by height-for-age z scores (HAZ) and weight-for-age z scores (WAZ) in Punjab. Early growth indicators of children under five years of age are the focus of this study. Further, we test for the presence of intra household resource allocation bias where boys get preferential treatment in term of health care as compared to girls. The data has been taken from Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2011, Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment and State Bank of Pakistan. The study employs an Instrumental Variable Approach with Two Stage Least Square and Instrumental Variable Approach estimated through Treatment Effect Model. Historic migration rates and number of banks in each district is used as an IV for external migration and remittances from overseas. Our results suggest significant and positive impact of external migration and remittances on both the indicators of child health outcomes (Height for Age z-scores and Weight for Age z-scores). Further this study confirms the presence of increased bargaining power of women in households headed by females where there is an increased spousal control over the allocation of resources. In Pakistan, mostly the households are headed by male members and their absence due to migration gives the female spouse a greater command over decision making process resulting in a greater share of resources being spent on girls relative to boys.