An Exploratory Study of Financial Remittances Among Non-Resident Indians in the United States

Remittances by immigrants and temporary workers of Indian origin in industrialized countries are a growing part of India’s economy. In this exploratory study we examine the social and economic characteristics affecting the remittance pattern of working households (or families) of Indian origin residing in the United States. As most previous studies have been undertaken at the macroeconomic level, our main contribution lies in identifying the household level factors that may influence remittances. Using an online and a mail-in survey of 39 households we find some of the significant factors affecting remittances. We also validate some of the remittance-related policies of the Indian government.

S. Aaron Hegde (Corresponding author)Email:

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Rupayan Gupta   is currently Assistant Professor of Economics at Roger Williams University, Rhode Island, USA. He received his PhD in economics from Iowa State University. His current research focuses on the political economy of international conflict, design of international institutions, the role of media in exposing corruption, and the costs and benefits of international migration. S. Aaron Hegde   is Assistant Professor of Economics and Director of the Environmental Resource Management Program at California State University, Bakersfield. He received his PhD in economics from North Carolina State University, where he focused on risk management within the broiler industry. His current research focuses on migration, especially undocumented migration; agricultural economics of developing countries; risk management and environmental issues.