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Do Remittances Increase Agricultural Productivity? The Case of Ghana

Debski, Julia LU (2018) EKHS42 20181
Department of Economic History
Abstract
Abstract: Over the last decades, remittances have significantly gained in importance for developing countries. Using recent household data, this thesis assesses the impact of remittances on agricultural productivity for the case of Ghana. Accounting for sample selection bias and endogeneity concerns, an overall positive but modest impact of remittances emerges. Yet, this estimate discerns crucial differences arising due to a household's socio-economic background. In particular, quartile regressions reveal a non-linear pattern, pointing to the strongest impact of remittances among lower-medium income classes. Further, this thesis estimates the impact of remittances on the expenditure on crop inputs as one potential channel to explain the... (More)
Abstract: Over the last decades, remittances have significantly gained in importance for developing countries. Using recent household data, this thesis assesses the impact of remittances on agricultural productivity for the case of Ghana. Accounting for sample selection bias and endogeneity concerns, an overall positive but modest impact of remittances emerges. Yet, this estimate discerns crucial differences arising due to a household's socio-economic background. In particular, quartile regressions reveal a non-linear pattern, pointing to the strongest impact of remittances among lower-medium income classes. Further, this thesis estimates the impact of remittances on the expenditure on crop inputs as one potential channel to explain the differential impact of these monetary flows across income classes. As remittances are found to also influence crop expenditure stronger in lower income classes, this pattern complements the previous results. Our findings illustrate the need for a more comprehensive approach to assess the impact of remittances in the agricultural context. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Debski, Julia LU
supervisor
organization
course
EKHS42 20181
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Remittances, Agricultural Productivity, Income, Ghana
language
English
id
8951959
date added to LUP
2018-08-20 14:45:31
date last changed
2018-08-20 14:45:31
@misc{8951959,
  abstract     = {{Abstract: Over the last decades, remittances have significantly gained in importance for developing countries. Using recent household data, this thesis assesses the impact of remittances on agricultural productivity for the case of Ghana. Accounting for sample selection bias and endogeneity concerns, an overall positive but modest impact of remittances emerges. Yet, this estimate discerns crucial differences arising due to a household's socio-economic background. In particular, quartile regressions reveal a non-linear pattern, pointing to the strongest impact of remittances among lower-medium income classes. Further, this thesis estimates the impact of remittances on the expenditure on crop inputs as one potential channel to explain the differential impact of these monetary flows across income classes. As remittances are found to also influence crop expenditure stronger in lower income classes, this pattern complements the previous results. Our findings illustrate the need for a more comprehensive approach to assess the impact of remittances in the agricultural context.}},
  author       = {{Debski, Julia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Do Remittances Increase Agricultural Productivity? The Case of Ghana}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}