Selection into migration within a household model: Evidence from senegal

Abstract

This paper intends to fill the gap between individual selection models and household approaches to migration. It presents a theoretical model to account for household-based migration decisions and derives its implications on migrant selection within the household. The predictions are tested on unique multi-sited and matched samples of Senegalese migrants and their origin household, using a three-step estimation procedure based on an extension of the Roy-Dahl model of mobility and earnings. Our results suggest that expected remittances, along with earnings differentials between host and home countries, play a major role in shaping intra-household selection patterns.