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Remittances of Immigrant Citizens, Attachment to the Host Country and Transnationalism

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A Correction to this article was published on 09 March 2021

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Abstract

The purpose of the paper was to investigate the remittance behavior of immigrant citizens and the motivations behind it, to conceptualize and investigate the determinants of remittances, which have unique implications for immigrant citizens. In addition to the general effects, this study considered effects across immigrant groups and justified that these effects were similar regardless immigrants' origin. The study is based on the data of the 2011 Immigrant Survey that was conducted by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. This survey is unique since this is the only survey of immigrants in Israel which included questions about personal remittances, transnational activities and social adaptation. The sample of the survey was representative of the population of immigrant citizens in Israel and included 3,952 respondents. The study results revealed that remittance behavior of immigrant citizens is predominantly driven by motives of altruism, and only in part by insurance and investment motivation.

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Notes

  1. For an overview, see Rapoport & Docquier (2006) and de Haas (2007).

  2. The studies of Rapoport & Docquier (2006) included also other factors mostly related to the recipients’ household characteristics, but not only. The current study addresses only factors relating to the migrants themselves (because of a lack of information about recipients of remittances).

  3. The variable of properties used by Carling and Hoelscher (2013) precluded transfers for investment purposes.

  4. Immigrants in this survey were defined by the Central Bureau of Statistics as persons who entered Israel for permanent settlement, in accordance with the Law of Return or the Law of Entry.

  5. 28.4% of the sample noted an economic reason for migration. The other reasons considered in the survey were a lack of individual safety in the sending country (29%); anti-Semitism in the sending country (27%); political situation in the sending country (27%); Zionism (41%); desire to live in a Jewish state (65.8%); desire to ensure children's future (55%); decision made by parents, spouse or another family member (38%); having family members and/or friends making immigration (51%); inability to immigrate to any other country (9%); other (13%). The sum is more than 100% because of multiple choices.

  6. The data of the Immigrant Survey did not contain information about return intentions, but only about intentions to leave Israel, which is a broader concept.

  7. Initially, the model included also gender. Since no relationships were found between gender and any dependent variable, gender was trimmed. It seems that for immigrant citizens, the decision to remit is a household decision and not a personal one.

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  1. Department of Economics and Management, Ruppin Academic Center, Emek, 40250, Hefer, Israel

    Nonna Kushnirovich

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Kushnirovich, N. Remittances of Immigrant Citizens, Attachment to the Host Country and Transnationalism. Popul Res Policy Rev 40, 931–954 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-020-09630-7

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