Migration and multi-dimensional poverty in Moldovan communities

This paper aims to understand the links between migration and poverty at the community level. Most of the research to date on the links between migration and poverty has been conducted at the micro level, while research related to migration and development more broadly usually focuses on the specific micro or the broader macro level. This paper adds to the existing literature by focusing specifically on the community level using data collected in the second half of 2011 in 180 Moldova communities. This paper examines four dimensions of poverty at the community level, namely: 1) infrastructure, 2) education, 3) livelihood and 4) health. We look at different rates of poverty by migration/remittance prevalence and country destination. We find that communities with higher rates of migration are significantly associated with a higher level of deprivation in infrastructure and the multi-dimensional index, while we find no significant results for remittances sent to the community. Community size and average income as well as region and proximity to the capital all show significant results of the different dimensions of well-being.

Keywords: Migration, Remittances, Development, Poverty, Moldova, Community development, Deprivation

JEL classification: Y80, Z13, Z18