The Influence of Internal Migration on Migrant Children's School Enrolment and Work in Turkey

This study investigates the effects of internal family migration on the schooling and work situations of children in Turkey, where large regional economic gaps generate large internal migration flows. Using 2003 Turkey Demographic and Health survey data, conventional regression analyses suggest that migrant children are more likely to leave school and engage in economic activity. These effects of migration are considerable compared with those of wealth and parents' education. However, if we control the selection bias caused by the non-randomness of migration decisions, only the effects on the work situations of children remain significant. Internal migration directly impacts work than schooling for migrant children. In Turkey, only a few migrants obtain high returns from migration. Migrant children whose parents failed to get the expected returns may start to work in the destination.