Remittances and Economic Growth in Mexico: An Empirical Study with Structural Breaks, 1970-2010

Miguel Ramirez

Business and Economic Research, 2014, vol. 4, issue 1, 351-373

Abstract: This paper investigates remittance flows to Mexico during the 1980-2010 period in absolute terms, relative to GDP, in comparison to FDI inflows, and in terms of their regional destination. Next, the paper reviews the growing literature that assesses the impact of remittances on investment spending and economic growth. Third, it presents a simple endogenous growth model that explicitly incorporates the potential impact of remittance flows on economic and labor productivity growth. Fourth, it presents a modified empirical counterpart to the simple model that tests for both single- and two-break unit root tests, as well as performs cointegration tests with an endogenously determined level shift over the 1970-2010 period. The error-correction model estimates suggest that remittance flows to Mexico have a positive and significant effect, albeit small, on both economic growth and labor productivity growth. The concluding section summarizes the major results and discusses potential avenues for future research on this important topic.

Keywords: Error-correction model; FDI inflows; Gregory-Hansen cointegration single-break test; Gross fixed capital formation; Johansen Cointegration test; KPSS no unit root test; Lee-Strazicich two-break unit root test; remittance flows; and Zivot-Andrews single-break unit root test. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C10 F01 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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