Are Migrant Associations Actors in Local Development? A National Event-History Analysis in Rural Burkina Faso

SummaryThe objective of this paper is to provide quantitative evidence on the impacts of migrant associations on local development in rural Burkina Faso. We exploit a national retrospective community survey of 600 settlements conducted in 2002. Using longitudinal data and event-history models, we show significant effects of migrant associations on the creation of schools, health centers, and roads, while the direct effects on other facilities and on modernization of agriculture are non-significant. The paper also explores whether the impact of migrant associations varies according to the period and to some characteristics of the associations (location and age of the association).