John Gibson, David McKenzie and Halahingano Rohorua have compiled what we know about the development impact of seasonal worker programs in a new survey paper.
The authors look at three different types of studies: regression-discontinuity studies, matched difference-in-difference studies and accounting approaches. They conclude that “the studies reviewed here suggest that seasonal and temporary migration can have large development impacts, at least on the households supplying workers.”
However, while the evidence at hand shows conclusively a positive impact on the household level, the authors acknowledge that there have been no studies that show how the overall development impact may differ from the sum of these household-level impacts. The authors also make it clear that, in terms of the overall aggregate development impact, scale of the programs is key – an important message for Australia’s so-far small Seasonal Worker Program.
This new research, entitled ‘Development Impacts of Seasonal and Temporary Migration: A Review of Evidence from the Pacific and Southeast Asia’ is a recent publication in the Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies Journal.
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