Can Information and Alternatives to Irregular Migration Reduce “Backway” Migration from The Gambia ?
Irregular migration from West Africa to Europe across the Sahara and Mediterranean is extremely risky for migrants and a key policy concern. A cluster-randomized experiment with 3,641 young men from 391 settlements in The Gambia is used to test thr...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099548008222219454/IDU044e4c11c01f53041f408aec06a6adb79c705 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37911 |
| Summary: | Irregular migration from West Africa
to Europe across the Sahara and Mediterranean is extremely
risky for migrants and a key policy concern. A
cluster-randomized experiment with 3,641 young men from 391
settlements in The Gambia is used to test three approaches
to reducing risky migration: providing better information
and testimonials about the risks of the journey,
facilitating migration to a safer destination by providing
information and assistance for migration to Dakar, and
offering vocational skill training to enhance domestic
employment opportunities. Current migration to Senegal was
increased by both the Dakar facilitation and vocational
training treatments, partially crowding out internal
migration. The vocational training treatment reduced
intentions to migrate the backway and the number of steps
taken toward moving. However, the backway migration rate
from The Gambia collapsed, even in the control group,
resulting in no space for a treatment effect on irregular
migration from any of the three interventions. |
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