This study contributes to the debate about the net gain of international migration on development by analyzing the effect of migration on school attendance of children of left-behind households in Cameroon. A quick literature review shows that migration can impact children's education through two main channels: the “budget constraint” channel and the “family disruption” channel. Based on this literature review, we develop a theoretical framework to highlight the underlying mechanisms. In order to empirically assess the two channels, we use a survey designed for this purpose. Results highlight a detrimental effect of migration on boys’ school attendance, whereas girls are not affected. This negative effect is mainly explained by parental and recent migrations. Thus our empirical results provide evidence on the fact that, in the Cameroonian context, international migration does not always positively influence development, at least as far as children's education is concerned. © 2018 The Authors. International Migration © 2018 IOM

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international migration family structure social impact education empirical analysis Cameroon literature review Child