This paper uses a small, non-representative household survey from the Dominican Republic to test between two motivations to remit: insurance, whereby migrants remit on the basis of an insurance contract with their parents; and investment, whereby migrants remit on the basis of potential bequests from their families. The importance of these two motivations to remit varies by destination (internal vs. international migration), gender and household composition. The insurance motive is mainly fulfilled by female international migrants to the US. Female migrants to the US send more remittances when their parents are ill, while male migrants to the US do not do this unless they are the sole migrant from the household. By contrast, both male and female migrants to the US are motivated by the investment function. Both male and female migrants to the US remit more when their parents have more land assets.

©2002 Elsevier.