Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/83982 
Year of Publication: 
2013
Series/Report no.: 
Kiel Working Paper No. 1876
Publisher: 
Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Kiel
Abstract: 
Increasing labor migration and simultaneous aging of societies are two important demographic developments many poor countries face. Elderly people who are left behind may experience a decrease in welfare when their children migrate. This paper investigates the e ect of migration on various dimensions of elderly health using unique data from Moldova, which has one of the highest emigration rates in the world. We nd positive migration e ects on the body mass index (BMI), mobility and self-reported health. No e ects are found on depression and cognitive capacity. We trace these positive outcomes to an income e ect which leads to improvements in diet and a reallocation of time use from subsistence farming to leisure and sleep. These positive e ects seem to compensate the elderly for decreasing social contact with their migrant family members.
Subjects: 
international migration,
elderly health
JEL: 
F22
I12
I15
J14
O15
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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