Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Financial Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

By Sanjeev Gupta, Catherine A Pattillo, Smita Wagh

February 1, 2007

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Format: Chicago

Sanjeev Gupta, Catherine A Pattillo, and Smita Wagh. Impact of Remittances on Poverty and Financial Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2007) accessed September 20, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

This paper assesses the impact of the steadily growing remittance flows to sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Though the region receives only a small portion of the total recorded remittances to developing countries, and the volume of aid flows to SSA swamps remittances, this paper finds that remittances, which are a stable, private transfer, have a direct poverty mitigating effect, and promote financial development. These findings hold even after factoring in the reverse causality between remittances, poverty and financial development. The paper posits that formalizing such flows can serve as an effective access point for "unbanked" individuals and households, and that the effective use of such flows can mitigate the costs of skilled out-migration in SSA.

Subject: Banking, Financial sector development, Migration, Poverty, Remittances

Keywords: Remittance, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

43
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2007/038
Stock No:

WPIEA2007038
ISBN:

9781451866025
ISSN:

1018-5941

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