International Migration and Poverty: The Iranian Case

This article is a preliminary attempt to compile the available information on migration dynamics in Iran to shed light on its relationship with poverty. It argues that whereas the influx of Afghans and Iraqis to Iran as refugees and irregular workers has allowed them to escape the war and misery back home, it has also made a large number of them into the urban poor in Iran. It also discussed the migration trends among Iran highly skilled labor force and their effects on poverty levels in the country. It shows that whereas their absence from the Iranian economy has most likely resulted in increased poverty, their remittances are too small to offset the effect. The article concludes with a set of recommendations on public policy.