Intra-rural migration and pathways to greater well-being: evidence from Tanzania

Type Working Paper
Title Intra-rural migration and pathways to greater well-being: evidence from Tanzania
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2017
URL http://fsg.afre.msu.edu/gisaia/Tanzania/FSP_Research_Paper_60.pdf
Abstract
Migration between rural locations is prevalent in developing countries and has been found to
improve economic well-being in Sub-Saharan Africa. This article explores the pathways through
which intra-rural migration affects well-being in rural Tanzania. Specifically, we investigate whether
such migration enables migrants to access more land, higher quality land, or greater off-farm income
generating opportunities that may, in turn, translate into improved well-being. Drawing on a
longitudinal data set that tracks migrants to their destinations, we employ a difference-in-differences
approach, validated with a multinomial treatment effects model, and find that migration confers a
benefit in consumption to migrants. Results do not indicate that this advantage is derived from
larger farms or, generally, from more productive farmland. However, across all destinations,
migrants are more likely to draw from off-farm or nonfarm income sources, suggesting that even
intra-rural migration represents a shift away from a reliance on farm production, and this is likely the
dominant channel through which migrants benefit. We conclude that intra-rural migration merits
greater attention in the discourse on rural development and structural transformation.

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