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Reducing Mistreatment of Migrant Domestic Workers (joint with Vojtech Bartos, Victoria Licuanan, Andreas Steinmayr, Erwin Tiongson, Dean Yang)

Abstract

Many migrant workers face exploitative working conditions, resulting from the highly asymmetric power relationship with their employers and their inability to enforce contracts. We test whether reframing the initial encounter between migrants and employers can improve the relationship and working conditions in the longer run. We conduct a randomized experiment with Filipinas migrating as domestic workers to Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Before departure, treated migrants received the suggestion to introduce themselves to their employers with a small gift and show a photo of their family. The intervention aims to portray the migrant as a human being with a family and good intentions, thus potentially increasing the moral cost for the employer to mistreat the migrant. Two years later, treated migrants report better treatment by the employers and reductions in mistreatment. They are also more likely to still work for their employer or plan to continue doing so. We also observe positive effects on migrants’ households in the Philippines. To better understand the mechanism, we conduct online experiments with potential employers in Hong Kong and the Middle East. These experiments suggest that the effect is due to decreased social distance, not reciprocity.

About the speaker
Toman Barsbai is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Bristol and Senior Researcher at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. His research interests are in development and culture, with a focus on the causes and consequences of international migration and the origins and economic implications of preferences and behavior around the world.

Date: , -
Type of Event
Other
Event Category
Online
Main organizer/s
UNU-MERIT
Target Audience
Academia
Civil Society
General Public
Language
English
Geographic Scope
Regional
Regions
Asia
Workstream Output
No
Regional Review Process
No
GCM Objectives
6 - Recruitment and decent work
Cross Cutting Theme
People-centred
Human rights
Gender-responsive
Keywords
Gender
Labour markets and employment
Labour migration
Status
Published

*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).