Abstract

This study examines the role played by remittances in Morocco's spectacular fertility decline over the 1975–2018 period. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds approach, we find a significant negative association between remittances to the country and total fertility rate. This relationship is stronger in the long term than in the short term, suggesting that the human capital-accumulation channel is probably more important than the income effect. Findings of the study highlight the contribution of Morocco's large overseas migrant community to the country's demographic transition.

Co-authored with K. Kasmaoui, F. Makhlouf, and M-Y. Mughal.