Linking Migration And Household Welfare In Cameroon: Zooming Into The Effect Of Return Migration On Self-Employment

Belmondo Tanankem Voufo, Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Cameroon
Gilles Quentin Kane, Université de Yaoundé 2

This paper investigates the effects of migration on household welfare and labour market participation (self-employment) in Cameroon. The data used for the analyses were gathered from the survey on the impact of migration on development in Cameroon conducted in 2012. Making use of robust identification strategies to handle the endogeneity and selectivity issues, the study finds that having a migrant member or receiving remittances increases the households’ per capita expenditures, and reduces the likelihood of living below the poverty line. In addition, migration and remittances contribute to the accumulation of consumer assets, to access to basic utility services, but do not significantly affect productive assets ownership. Besides, self-employment is more likely to occur in households having a return migrant, while receiving remittances decreases the probability of being self-employed. Meanwhile, the effect of the presence of absent migrants in the household on self-employment decision is negative but insignificant.