Does integration hinder immigrant giving to the country of origin? Presentation at 7th ERNOP Conference, July 10, Paris, France.

1. Identification and remittances
7th
ERNOP Conference
July 10, 2015
ESSEC Business School, Paris, France
Does integration hinder immigrant giving to
the country of origin?

2. Authors

Arjen de Wit, VU University Amsterdam

Daisha M. Merritt, James Madison University

Sabith Khan, Virginia Tech

3. Remittances

Private transfers from immigrants to country of
origin

Mostly to family members

Altruistic, exchange, strategic, insurance and/or
investment motives (Lucas & Stark 1985;
Rapoport & Docquier 2006)

Is this a form of philanthropy?

4. The data

The Giving in the Netherlands Immigrant Survey
(GINIS) 2008

Five non-western migrant groups: Turkish,
Moroccan, Surinamese, Antillean, Afghan

N = 564

CAWI and CAPI

5. Immigration in the Netherlands

1960s: 'guest workers' from Southern Europe
and Northern Africa

1970s: increase in migration from (former)
colonies in Caribbean

2000s/2010s: migration from Eastern European
Union

6. Migrant groups in the Netherlands
Turkish origin 396,414
Moroccan origin 374,996
Surinamese origin 348,291
Antillean origin 146,855
Afghan origin 43,183
Non-western migrants 1,997,584
Total population 16,829,289

7. No decay in % of people remitting
Years living in the Netherlands

8. Amount remitted
increases/decreases/increases
€
Years living in the Netherlands

9. How can decay be explained?

Identification model (Schervisch & Havens 1997)

Philanthropic giving partly determined by
communities people participate in and the way
people view society

Is this applicable to remittances giving?

10. Results
Total (0/1) Family (0/1) Total (€) Family (€)
Logistic Logistic OLS OLS
Years in NL 0.004 -0.005 -5.166 -5.005
Contact in country
of origin
2.173*** 2.274*** 181.900 182.798
Contact Dutch
friends
-0.042 -0.102 -60.709 -38.453
Volunteer in NL 0.290 0.208 -29.240 -64.803
Dislike Dutch
friends
-0.107 -0.100 -110.400 -107.906
Dislike Dutch
partner
0.118 0.071 -7.434 -3.525
How likely you
return
0.139* 0.158** -11.873 -43.537
*** p<0.01, ** p<0.05, * p<0.1. Controlled for ethnicity, age, gender, religion, household size, education, marital
status and income.

11. Summing up

No decay in remittances giving

Immigrants who are in touch with country of
origin more likely to give remittances

Immigrants who intent to return more likely to
give remittances

Integration in new country not related to
remittances giving

12. Does integration hinder immigrant
giving to the country of origin?

Not necessarily

(Sense of) belonging to community in country of
origin determines remittances giving

13. Considerations

People give remittances because they want to
show off

International money transfers have become
easier

TV and other media raise awareness of need

Some diaspora have increasingly strong shared
identity

There might be a difference between first and
second generation immigrants

14. Thank you!

Arjen de Wit, VU University Amsterdam

Daisha M. Merritt, James Madison University

Sabith Khan, Virginia Tech