How Has Internal Migration in Albania Affected the Receipt of Transfers from Kinship Members?

Abstract

Kinship networks play an important role providing economic, social and emotional support in everyday life. Internal migration may put these networks at risk. Effects of migration on private transfers are primarily studied looking at the migrant and the family left behind. In this paper we investigate how the relocation of entire households affects the receipt of inter-household transfers from kinship members. Will the composition of received transfers change? Or, will the sending relatives be different?

We use data from a unique survey in Tirana (Albania), to investigate financial, good, and service transfers received by migrant households. By looking at frequency of transfers before and after migration, we check whether the structure of transfers changes and whether friends have superseded family as important sending partners.

Our empirical analysis shows that migration has significantly changed the type of transfers received while it has also affected the transfer network. We find that households receive fewer transfers than before migration, but that financial transfers increase. Friends become increasingly more important after migration, substituting for transfers from siblings and other relatives.

Keywords: internal migration, kinship, Albania, family solidarity, inter-household transfers

JEL Classification: D10, J10, J61, R20, R23