CBE Associate Professors Publish in International Migration Journal
2 min readYEREVAN, Armenia — Two American University of Armenia (AUA) Manoogian Simone College of Business and Economics (CBE) faculty members have jointly published a research study in the International Migration journal. CBE Associate Professors Dr. Aleksandr Grigoryan and Dr. Knar Khachatryan co-authored the article titled Remittances and Emigration Intentions: Evidence from Armenia.
The study discussed emigration intentions using household-level representative data from 2011. They identify determinants of emigration intentions within a model framework with endogenous remittances, instrumented by community-level factors, such as budget revenue, budget transparency, and community remoteness. The research reveals that remittances help ease the emigration process for potential migrants and serve as a resource rather than a contractual tool between migrants and non-migrants. In addition, remittance recipients with high emigration intentions are more likely to be residents of poor communities.
“When distinguishing the destination country for potential migrants, post-Soviet versus Western countries (EU countries or USA), we find that the instruments identified for remittances are more relevant for individuals targeting the post-Soviet area (mainly Russia). Nevertheless, remittances remain a significant resource for migrating to Western countries. The two pools of potential migrants considerably differ in the main set of skill characteristics: high-skilled potential migrants opt for Western countries (brain drain), while the low-skilled prefer post-Soviet countries as a destination. We discuss our results from the socio-economic development perspective, such as the threat of chain migration inherent to poor communities and the whole country. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the relationship between migration and remittances for countries with similar settings,” reads the abstract.
International Migration is a refereed, scientific journal on migration issues as analyzed by demographers, geographers, economists, sociologists, political scientists and other social scientists from all parts of the world. It covers the entire field of policy relevance in international migration, giving attention not only to a breadth of topics reflective of policy concerns, but also attention to coverage of all regions of the world.
Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.