Kwanpadh Suddhi-hamakit

Position: ESPP Fellow

Educational Background
2004 M.Litt. Management, Economics, and International Relations, University of St Andrews, UK. Master Dissertation: The Electricity Sector Reform: The Case of Thailand – Progress, Problems and Prospects

2000 B.Sc. Economics, London School of Economics, London, UK

Research
In many developing countries, labour migration – both internally and internationally – is a way of life for many people. While literature on causes of migration and benefits from remittance flows has received substantial attention and has moved up in the international policy agenda, the migration implications on affected families are still much debated and inconclusive.

Among many concerns, the topic of “children left behind” has led many researchers to try to better understand the impact of being left behind on these affected children. My research, however, argues that migrants’ families are heterogeneous and that each child is born into an income distribution and a certain family structure. As a result, the parents’ propensity to migrate as well as any negative or positive effects from migration are not the same across a particular income distribution. Thus, there is a strong need to understand the structural conditions as well as personal characteristics under which children are left behind. If, indeed, the impacts on children being left behind are deemed to be significantly negative, then it is important that these conditions and determinants are clearly understood before any appropriate policy interventions, if deemed necessary, can be introduced.

Working Experience
2005–2007: Human Development Program Specialist, The World Bank, East Asia and Pacific

2000–2003: Senior Consultant, Government and Public Sector, KPMG Management Consulting, Thailand