Migration and Poverty : Toward
Better Opportunities for the Poor

Migration has historically been a source
of opportunities for people to improve their lives and those
of their families. Today, the large differences in income
between places-particularly countries-continue to motivate
individuals to escape poverty through migration. The
potential advantages of migration for sending countries are
numerous. Through remittances, migration provides a means of
improving income and smoothing consumption; it enables
households to overcome the lack of credit and cushion the
risks involved in engaging in more productive activities;
and migration can also act as a coping strategy in times of
distress. Remittances can be spent on investments, such as
housing and schooling, and directly on household
consumption. Furthermore, new skills and education may be
acquired at the place of destination and transferred back to
the place of origin. This volume argues that although
migration increases income and often reduces poverty, the
migration opportunities of the poor are different-among the
poor there are fewer migrants, and they travel to
'cheaper' destinations with lower returns. The
main barriers to emigration encountered by the poor are lack
of opportunities and high costs. This translates into lower
returns and, very likely, less poverty reduction. As a
result of this cyclical interconnection, the
poverty-reducing potential that migration holds for
developing countries is often not maximized.