Staying for Benefits

Abstract

There is concern that benefit programs may alter out-migration patterns. We exploit the quasi-random placement of a health and family planning program in Bangladesh to examine changes in out-migration patterns. Using individual-level migration data from 1979–91, we find that the flow of out-migration was approximately 15 percent lower for women and men in the treatment versus comparison area. We find comparable changes in outmigrant stock, showing that effects persisted even after allowing for return migration. Our findings suggest that benefit programs can lead to longer run changes in population, with consequences for program evaluation design and economic development.