Cross-border Migration and Poverty: Evidence from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (KDSS), Thailand

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Keywords:
cross-border migration ethnicity poverty assimilation neighborhood context KDSS

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Aree Jampaklay
Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University
Barbara Entwisle
Carolina Population Center and Sociology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Jacqueline M. Hagan
Carolina Population Center and Sociology Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Abstract

This study examines immigration, ethnicity, and poverty status in Thailand, with particular reference to the situation in the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (KDSS). Kanchanaburi borders Myanmar, about 120 km weat of Bangkok. By comparing the economic prospects of households headed by the foreign-born, native-born minorities, and Thai nationals, we consider the relative effects of crossborder migration and ethnicity on household poverty. Of particular interest is the ways in which these effects are conditioned by residential context, specifically the ethnic makeup of the neighborhood or village. The results show significant adverse effects of immigrant status and non-Thai ethnicity on household poverty. Immigrant households (headed by the foreign-born) are particularly underprivileged, compared to the non-Thai/native-born and the Thais. Effects are heightened for households that arrived recently and for households located in minority villages.

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How to Cite
Jampaklay, A., Entwisle, B., & M. Hagan, J. (2016). Cross-border Migration and Poverty: Evidence from the Kanchanaburi Demographic Surveillance System (KDSS), Thailand. Journal of Population and Social Studies [JPSS], 21(2), S–28. Retrieved from https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/jpss/article/view/71941
Issue
Vol. 21 No. 2 (2013): July - December [Supplement]
Section
Research Articles
Author Biography

Aree Jampaklay, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University

Corresponding author

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