PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Tania Barham
AU  - Randall Kuhn
TI  - Staying for Benefits
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.49.4.982
DP  - 2014 Oct 02
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 982--1013
VI  - 49
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/49/4/982.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/49/4/982.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2014 Oct 02; 49
AB  - 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.