Sibling influence on the human capital of the left-behind

Biavaschi, C., Giulietti, C. and Zimmermann, K. F. (2015) Sibling influence on the human capital of the left-behind. Journal of Human Capital, 9 (4). pp. 403-438. ISSN 1932-8664 doi: 10.1086/683543

Abstract/Summary

While a growing literature has analyzed the effects of parental migration on the educational outcomes of children left behind, this study is the first to highlight the importance of sibling interactions in such a context. Using panel data from the RUMiC Survey, we find that sibling influence on school performance is stronger among left- behind children. Hence, parental migration seems to trigger changes in familial roles and sibling effects among children. However, it is primarily older sisters who exhibit a positive influence on their younger siblings. We corroborate our results by performing a series of tests to mitigate endogeneity issues. The results from the analysis suggest that sibling effects in migrant households might be a mechanism shaping children’s outcomes and success and that adjustments within the family left behind have the potential to generate benefits – or reduce hardships – in response to parental migration.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/52532
Identification Number/DOI	10.1086/683543
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Economics
Publisher	University of Chicago Press
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item