The Effects of Migration Experience on Households’ Asset and Capital Accumulation: A Comparative Study in Three Central American Countries

Gabriela Sanchez-Soto, Brown University

Previous studies show the important role of international migration and remittances in the purchase of household goods, housing and investments in home improvement in less developed countries. Studies also indicate that the use of remittances for the acquisition of productive assets, such as agricultural land, is less prevalent and more closely tied to the local economic context. Based on preliminary results from the Guatemala Migration Survey (GMS), this paper examines the relationship between non-productive and productive asset ownership and migration experience in 26 Central American communities. The study uses data from Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala (Quetzaltenango region) from the Latin American Migration Project to expand on a previous analysis of data from the GMS in the Quiché region of Guatemala. This analysis uses regression models to estimate the effects of internal and international migration experience on the accumulation of household assets, agricultural capital, as well as business ownership.