Chartouni, C., & Nyarko, Y. (2018). Managed Labor Migration in Afghanistan: A Brief Review of the Academic Migration Literature. Washington, DC: World Bank.
This paper presents key findings on the international experience with migration, focusing on the implications for a developing nation that is a country of origin. The paper identifies several areas of impacts: (1) increases in wages of individual migrants; (2) remittances; (3) impacts on skills and skill formation – those leaving acquire skills to enhance ability to migrate, and those returning often do so with acquired skills and work experience.
Joseph, T., Nyarko, Y., & Wang, S. Y. (2018). Asymmetric Information and Remittances: Evidence from Matched Administrative Data. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 10(2), 58-100.
Using new large-scale, administrative data matching remittances and monthly payroll disbursals, we demonstrate how migrants’ earnings in the United Arab Emirates affect their remittances.
Nyarko, Y. “Mobility, Human Capital, Remittances, and Economic Transformation.” The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics: Volume 2: Policies and Practices., edited by Justin Lin et al., Oxford University Press, 480-493, 2015.
Migration and its related remittances is now an important feature of many economies, both the source countries and many destination countries.
Gyimah-Brempong, K., & Nyarko, Y. (2015). Education, Internal Remittances and Safety Nets in Africa: Some Evidence. Journal of African Development, 17(1), 1-16.
This paper uses LSS data from Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to investigate the effects of education on social safety nets proxied by internal migrant remittances in Africa.
Nyarko, Y. (2013). The Economic Development Benefits of Human Mobility to Source Countries. Labor Mobility, an Enabler for Sustainable Development. Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR) Conference, 49-67.
Labor mobility is particularly significant in the case of the GCC; the region is host to around 15 million expatriate workers who generate US $80 billion in annual remittances each year and support and estimate 150 million dependents in their various home countries.
Nyarko, Y. “The Brain Drain in Africa.” Oxford Companion to Economics in Africa, edited by Ernesto Aryeetey et al., Oxford University Press, 2012.
Increased attention has recently been paid to the phenomenon of the brain drain of skilled (and often unskilled) Africans from their home countries to countries in the West. In part this is because of the relatively large percentages of skilled Africans going abroad…
Nyarko, Y. (2011). The Returns to the Brain Drain and Brain Circulation in Sub-Saharan Africa: Some computations using data from Ghana (No. w16813). National Bureau of Economic Research.
We look at the decision of the government or “central planner” in the allocation of scarce governmental resources for tertiary education, as well as that for the individual. We provide estimates of the net present values, or cost and benefits.
Nyarko, Y., & Gyimah-Brempong, K. (2011). Social Safety Nets: The Role of Education, Remittances and Migration. European Report on Development.
We study the role of education as a social protection mechanism. We compare the effectiveness of direct cash handouts in comparison to education over the long-term in reducing the vulnerability to poverty.
Nyarko, Y., Gyimah-Brempong, K., & Peter-Hellwig, K. (2010). Review of African Household Survey Data on Social Safety-Nets and the Role of Education, Remittances and Migration. European Report on Development.
The question of the social protection of the poor and social safety-nets in Africa has recently received attention from the European Union, United Nations agencies, as well as in many academic papers and conferences.
Melitsko, S., & Nyarko, Y. (2010). Africa and the Arab Gulf: A New Economic and Political Alliance? Journal of African Development, 12(1), 10-19.
Does the relationship between the Arab Gulf and Africa hold the promise of greatly enhanced and mutually beneficial trade and investment?
Nyarko, Y., & Easterly, W. “Is the Brain Drain Good for Africa?” Skilled Immigration Today: Prospects, Problems, and Policies., edited by Bhagwati et al., Oxford University Press, 2009.
We build upon recent literature to do several exercises to assess benefits and costs of the brain drain to Africa. Contrary to a lot of the worries expressed in the media and in aid agencies, the brain drain is probably a net benefit to the source countries…