Remittances from Internal Migration and Poverty in Botswana

Abstract

This study seeks to address the question of the existence of a relationship between remittances from internal labour migrants and poverty. Data was obtained from a stratified random sample survey of internal migrants and poverty in Botswana in 2004. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from the migrants. A total of 1160 migrant households were enumerated. The lived poverty index method is used to estimate the level of poverty. It takes the social aspect of development into consideration, thereby reducing the limitations of the economic measurement of poverty. Logistic regression analysis is used to examine the remittance-poverty relationship. Though female-headed households are transitorily poorer than their male counterparts, there is no significant gender difference among the extremely poor. The results do not show conclusively that migrant remittances have moderating effect on poverty in the country. Policy implications are addressed.