International Migration and its Socioeconomic impact on Migrant Sending Households Evidence from Irob Woreda

There is an enduring debate over the development impact of international migration and remittances. This study examined the role international migration, allied remittances and returnee migrants play on the socio-economic welfare of migrant-sending households in Irob; a drought prone, hot-spot and at a time, chronically food insecure district; from where prevalent transmigration is observed. The study was cross sectional survey method and employed questionnaire survey and key informant interview as a data collection instruments. It intended primarily, to analyze the effects of the remittances and returnees on individual migrant sending households’ daily consumption, health care, education, housing, asset building, business creation, debt repayment, ceremonies as well as philanthropic activities; then, to see if the effects are limited to the recipient households or have spillover effect onto non-recipients and the wider community. Findings of the study indicated that international migrant remittances have positive role in terms of relaxing expenditure restraint of the recipient households. Unfortunately however, most of the remittances were spent on daily consumption which brought down sustainability of the remittance effects. Moreover, most of the remittance-induced investments and returnee migrants remain in urban centers than going back to the district. This jeopardizes both productiveness oa the area and integrated existence of the minority. As a result, migration is temporarily benefiting Irob migrant sending households but its long term effect is likely to be destructive. As per this study, further investigation is needed so as to reveal deeper and broader impact of migratory movements as well as to find middle ground where the perverse incentives of international migration and the study area’s food self-insufficiency can be reconciled. The study also recommends human capital development and complementary investments, area selective interventions like ecotourism, shoat restocking and cactus processing; ways of attracting returnees and retaining migrant sending households as possible resolutions to be taken. 1