Do rainfall conditions push or pull rural migrants: evidence from Malawi

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Published
1 January 2012
Country:
Malawi
Document Type:
Journal Article
Theme:
Climate and Environment
First published:
1 January 2012
Authors:
Fisher, M., Lewin, P.A. and Weber, B.

Abstract

This article uses nationally representative data fromMalawi鈥檚 2004/05 Integrated Household Survey (IHS2) to examine whether rainfall conditions influence a rural worker鈥檚 decision to make a long-term move to an urban or another rural area. Results of a Full Information Maximum Likelihood regression model reveal that (1) rainfall shocks have a negative association with rural out-migration, (2) migrants choose to move to communities where rainfall variability and drought probability are lower, and (3) rainfall shocks have larger negative effects on the consumption of recent migrants than on the consumption of long-time residents.

Citation

Lewin, P.A.; Fisher, M.; Weber, B. Do rainfall conditions push or pull rural migrants: evidence from Malawi. Agricultural Economics (2012) 43 (2) 191-204. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-0862.2011.00576.x]

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Published 1 January 2012
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