Résumé
This paper examines the structure of remittances originating from Switzerland. We find that while Switzerland is reported to be the third largest source of remittances worldwide, the vast majority of these outflows are wages earned by non-resident commuters from France, Italy and Germany. We further estimate that two-thirds of the remittances made by immigrants resident in Switzerland flow to European countries with high per capita income. These findings suggest that the development impact of remittance outflows from Switzerland is negligible compared to that of other major source countries. [PUB ABSTRACT]
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Remittance Outflows From Switzerland
1 Introduction
Remittances by migrant workers are increasingly seen as an important source of economic development, particularly for low-income countries. Currently the second most important form of foreign exchange inflows for developing countries, remittance volumes are comparable to FDI and surpass both non-FDI private capital inflows and official aid. Moreover, while the volume of private capital flows is strongly dependent on economic performance in recipient countries, remittance inflows provide a more stable source of income. As a consequence, recent evidence suggests that remittance inflows not only significantly contribute to reducing poverty, but also smooth economic activity in recipient countries (IMF 2005).1This paper examines remittance outflows originating from Switzerland. A precise measurement of cross-border remittance flows is difficult to obtain. Existing data, however, suggest that Switzerland is the third largest source of remittanc...Voir le contenu complet de ce document
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