Asymmetric Effects of Remittances on Economic Growth in Nigeria: Evidence From Non-linear ARDL Analysis

Abstract Most of the extant studies on remittance-growth nexus have been limited to symmetric and linear effects of remittance on economic growth. Unlike previous studies, we examine asymmetric and nonlinear association between remittance and economic growth within the framework of nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model utilizing Nigeria’s data from 1981 to 2018. The study finds the evidence to support that growth responds asymmetrically to remittances only in the long-run. It is established that both positive and negative variations in remittance inflows dampen the productive base of the economy in the long-run while positive and negative changes in remittances are growth-retarding and growth-enhancing respectively in the short-run. The study, therefore, concludes that persistent increase in remittance inflows have not been channeled to productive ventures that are capable of stimulating growth in Nigeria. Thus, consistent with the view of pessimistic theorists, continual inflows of remittances to Nigeria could not be termed brain gains to the economy. JEL CLASSIFICATION: F24, F43, O11