International labour migration and quality of life: Findings from rural Thailand

Abstract

This paper provides one of the few detailed case studies of the costs and benefits of international labour migration within the East Asian labour-market system that developed rapidly in the 1990s. Analysis focuses on communities of migrant-worker origin in Northeastern Thailand. The paper considers quality of life dimensions for households distinguished on the basis of differing participation in international labour migration. Although the highest quality of life, based on locally identified indicators, is found in households containing returned international migrant workers, the differences between the analytical groups are fairly subdued. The implication is that international migration experience has been so widespread in these communities that it has had a 'demonstration and emulation' effect on aspirations and achievement throughout the whole of these communities. © 2003 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.