Does Temporary Migration From Rich to Poor Countries Cause Commitment to Development? Evidence From Quasi-Random Mormon Mission Assignments

Abstract

Public support in rich countries for global development is critical for sustaining effective government and individual action But the causes of public support are not well understood. Temporary migration to developing countries might play a role in generating individual commitment to development, but finding exogenous variation in travel with which to identify causal effects is rare. In this paper we address this question using a natural experiment — the assignment of Mormon missionaries to two-year missions in different world regions — and test whether the attitudes and activities of returned missionaries differ. I find that assignment to a region in the global South causes returned missionaries to report greater interest in global development and poverty, but no difference in support for government aid or higher immigration, and no difference in personal donations or other involvement.

Keywords: Aid, Attitudes, Development, Mormonism, Religion, Travel

JEL Classification: F22, O10, Z10