Sibling Influences on Migrant Remittances, Evidence from Nang Rong, Thailand

Abstract

Using data from Nang Rong, Thailand, this research utilizes a unique research design to analyze the effect of siblings’ characteristics (N=4,338 sibling pairs) as a determinant of migrant remittances sent as a form of support to aging parents living in rural households. The research advances the study of remittances and intergenerational support by going beyond the prevailing model of remittances, which views these transfers as atomized exchanges between individual migrants and their households. Using characteristics of siblings as determinants of support provision, I find evidence that differences in occupation, gender, and marital status across sibling pairs all have a net effect on support behavior. Underlying these differences is the ability to provide support, competing commitments to family of procreation, and gender norms about care giving.