Migrant-worker remittances and Burma

An economic analysis of survey results

Bibliographic Data

ID20083531
AuthorsSean Turnell (0000-0002-2865-1089), Alison Vicary (0000-0002-5976-9557), Wylie Bradford (0000-0002-7478-2290)
Year2008
Publication date2008-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeCHAPTER
VenueDictatorship, disorder and decline in Myanmar (SOURCE_BOOK)
PublisherANU Press (PUBLISHER • AU)
DOI10.22459/dddm.12.2008.05
OpenAlexW2472462494
ISBN9781921536328
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited10

In recent years great interest has awakened in the question of migrant remittances. A phenomenon hitherto regarded as of little consequence, the potential for remittances to act as a means for poverty alleviation and economic development has increasingly come to enjoy a broad consensus. In the light of this, and the recognition that for many developing countries remittances constitute a larger and more stable source of foreign exchange than either trade, investment or aid, a vast and growing literature on the topic has emerged. However, and notwithstanding this broad interest, there is yet to appear any major study with respect to the question of migrant remittances to Burma. This paper seeks to at least partially redress this void by examining the extent, nature and pattern of remittances made by Burmese migrant workers in Thailand. Drawing upon a survey of such workers conducted by the authors, we find that remittances to Burma are large, disproportionately used to ensure simple survival, and are overwhelmingly realised via informal mechanisms. The latter attributes are a direct consequence of Burma’s dysfunctional economy, which sadly also severely limits the gains to the country that remittances might otherwise bring

Demographic economics · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Geography · Migrant workers · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Migration and Labor Dynamics

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