Arrested Development? An Empirical Analysis of Education Choices and Migration Intentions

35 Pages Posted: 26 Oct 2013

See all articles by Ronald U. Mendoza

Ronald U. Mendoza

Ateneo De Manila University - Ateneo School of Government

David Barua Yap II

Asian Institute of Management - Policy Center

Charles Siriban

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of Queensland

Beatrice D. Tanjangco

Asian Institute of Management - Policy Center

Date Written: October 25, 2013

Abstract

An estimated 10% of the Philippine population — about 10 million people — is overseas. While they contribute significantly to the Philippine economy by way of remittances and other connections, there may be a growing risk of brain and skills drain that could be detrimental to the country’s long run growth prospects. In crafting any possible response, it would be critical to understand the motivations of the Filipino youth, who comprise a large share of the migrant population, and notably since the country is on the cusp of a youth bulge. In order to contribute to the evidence-base in this area, this study turns to a unique survey of about 2500 Philippine college students, empirically examining the factors that influence youth migration intentions. It identifies and evaluates the strength of the various push and pull factors that might ultimately determine the decision to migrate. The study finds that a student who has relatives and friends abroad who encourage migration as well as relatives and friends in the Philippines who encourage migration is 11.75 times more likely to have an intention to migrate compared to the baseline student. A student who witnessed cheating in local elections is 1.35 times more likely to have an intention to migrate compared to the baseline student. The results of the study highlight the potentially increasing challenges for policymakers who seek to facilitate a better match between young people’s skills and job opportunities at home. Regional integration, such as the imminent emergence of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015, could accentuate these factors, further underscoring the importance of policies to address youth unemployment, underemployment, and education-job mismatches. While domestic policies will still be needed, international cooperation could prove increasingly critical.

Keywords: migration, brain drain, remittances, migrant networks

JEL Classification: F22, J61, O1

Suggested Citation

Mendoza, Ronald U. and Yap II, David Barua and Siriban, Charles and Tanjangco, Beatrice D., Arrested Development? An Empirical Analysis of Education Choices and Migration Intentions (October 25, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2345222 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2345222

Ronald U. Mendoza (Contact Author)

Ateneo De Manila University - Ateneo School of Government ( email )

Katipunan Road
Loyola Heights
Quezon City, 1108
Philippines

David Barua Yap II

Asian Institute of Management - Policy Center ( email )

Eugenio Lopez Foundation Bldg
Joseph McMicking Campus, 123 Paseo de Roxas
Makati City
Philippines

Charles Siriban

School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, the University of Queensland ( email )

St Lucia
Brisbane, Queensland 4072
Australia

HOME PAGE: http://sites.google.com/view/charlessiriban

Beatrice D. Tanjangco

Asian Institute of Management - Policy Center ( email )

Eugenio Lopez Foundation Bldg
Joseph McMicking Campus, 123 Paseo de Roxas
Makati City
Philippines

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