2010年-世界发展银行全球_Spurring_Development_through_a_Seasonal_Migration_Program_2页_566kb

Finance & PSD Impact: Summary of the RSE Program Evaluation

Core Content

The document presents an impact evaluation of New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) program, which was designed to facilitate seasonal labor migration from Pacific Island countries to New Zealand. It highlights the program's effectiveness in promoting development in both the sending and receiving countries.

Main Viewpoints

The RSE program is presented as a successful example of how combining government regulatory action, labor market facilitation, World Bank guidance, and private employer involvement can lead to effective development policies. Key viewpoints include:

• Labor Mobility as a Development Tool: The lack of labor mobility is identified as a major distortion in global factor markets, limiting productivity and income for workers. Facilitating migration, especially through seasonal worker programs, is seen as a powerful development intervention.

• Triple-Win Potential: Seasonal migration programs are highlighted for their potential to benefit migrants, sending countries, and receiving countries simultaneously.

• Policy Design and Implementation: The RSE program was carefully designed to address common issues in temporary worker programs, such as overstaying, worker protection, and displacement of local labor. It includes mechanisms for worker screening, employer accreditation, and preference for workers from Pacific Island Forum countries.

• Government Facilitation: Both the New Zealand and Pacific Island Governments played critical roles in establishing the labor market. New Zealand regulated employers, streamlined visa processes, and provided aid support. Pacific Island Governments organized recruitment, ensured fast passport and medical processing, and facilitated worker access to the RSE program.

• Evaluation Methodology: The evaluation used a rigorous approach, including baseline surveys, re-interviews, and statistical techniques such as propensity-score matching and difference-in-differences analysis, to assess the program's impact on household income, consumption, durable assets, and well-being.

Key Information

• Program Launch: The RSE program was launched in 2007 in New Zealand to address labor shortages in the horticulture and viticulture sectors.

• Participating Countries: Tonga and Vanuatu were the main countries studied, as they supplied the majority of workers under the RSE program.

• Survey Methodology: Four waves of surveys were conducted between 2007 and 2010, covering 450 households in each country. The surveys included households that supplied workers, those with RSE applicants who were not recruited, and non-applicant households.

• Results:

  • Income Increase: Per-capita household income increased by over 30% in both countries.
  • Expenditure Growth: Per-capita expenditure rose by just over 10%, suggesting significant savings by households.
  • Well-Being Improvement: Subjective well-being of households improved.
  • Asset Ownership: Households increased ownership of durable assets and undertook more home improvements.
  • Education: In Tonga, school attendance rates for 16-18 year olds increased by 20%.
  • Community Impact: Community-level effects were modest but positive.

• Policy Implications: The evaluation suggests that more countries should consider implementing seasonal worker programs. It also emphasizes the importance of efficient government processing of migration-related documents and the need for market facilitation in establishing effective labor migration systems.

Conclusion

The RSE program demonstrates the potential of seasonal migration to drive development in both sending and receiving countries. The combination of policy design, government facilitation, and market mechanisms created a sustainable and beneficial labor migration system. The results provide strong evidence for the effectiveness of such programs and encourage other nations to explore similar initiatives.