Migration and Poverty in the Post-Communist Countries of Europe and Central Asia

Abstract

Although most research studying the effects of migration on poverty tend to focus on Latin American and Asian emigration, I focus my study entirely on emigration from post-communist countries. Most studies also tend to focus on the relationship between economic growth and migration, rather than the relationship between poverty and migration. While economic growth is certainly related to poverty, my study will focus primarily on determining whether migration could play a key role in reducing poverty in the post-communist world. Finally, my research differs from most of the migration literature in that it focuses on both remittances and the flight of human capital as the key effects of migration. Most studies isolate their focus on either remittances or the effects of brain drain, whereas I include both in my model to determine what each of their effects are while holding the other constant. [From Introduction]