Return Migration and Self-Employment: Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

Tilman Brück, Clotilde Mahe () and Wim Naudé
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Clotilde Mahe: University of Luxembourg

No 11332, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: A common finding of the migration literature is that migrants are more likely to choose self-employment upon return to their origin countries than non-migrants. This has led to the belief that return migration stimulates entrepreneurship in source countries and hence supports economic development. In this paper, we test these assertions, drawing on the Life in Kyrgyzstan Study, a rich longitudinal data set from a transition economy with high levels of international temporary migration. We find that for return migrants, self-employment is often a temporary occupational choice, suggesting that self-employment serves as a 'parking lot'. In addition, we find evidence that return migrants who were self-employed before migrating are less likely to opt for self-employment on their return, implying that migration disrupts self-employment trajectories. Both findings cast doubt on the common narrative of return migration stimulating entrepreneurship and therefore economic development.

Keywords: occupational choice; entrepreneurship; migration; transition economies; Central Asia; Kyrgyzstan (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J24 L26 P20 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2018-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-dev, nep-ent, nep-lma, nep-mig, nep-tra and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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