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This paper examines whether remittances from international migration impact on the occupational choice of left-behind youth in Kyrgyzstan. Labor supply is analyzed both at the extensive and intensive margins using cross-sectional data for 2011. To overcome endogeneity concerns, an instrumental variable approach was implemented. Findings demonstrate that migration, rather than remittances, pushes the left-behind youth to become unpaid family workers. This is explained by the substitution effect as the youth left behind are called upon to replace the migrant labor. Moreover, this effect is heterogeneous – female youth are more inclined to becoming unpaid family workers both at the extensive and intensive margins.

This study analyses the role of risk attitude for entrepreneurship by gender differences in Kyrgyzstan. Logit analysis is applied to the cross-sectional data set drawn from the nationally representative survey for 2011. Entrepreneurship is measured by the self-employment activities and analysed by the agricultural and non-agricultural sample. Results of the study show that more risk-taking preferences are associated with higher entrepreneurship probability. However, this effect is not persistent for women in further estimations for non-agricultural entrepreneurship sample, while for men higher positive effect of risk loving behavior remains in off-farm self-employment too. These findings underline the existing difference in risk tolerance by gender in non-agricultural employment. Movement of women from farm to off-farm entrepreneurship may not necessarily require risk loving characteristics. However, further analysis of this difference should take into account potential difference of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurs by gender.

In many developing countries, out of shortage of savings and capital external resources as external debt, foreign direct investment and transfers play significant role in the fostering economic growth and development. The aim of this paper is to investigate the impacts of external public debt, current transfers and foreign direct investments on GDP of Kyrgyz Republic. By using quarterly data during 2000Q1-2017Q3 and the ARDL estimation method, the long-rum cointegration relationship between current transfers, external debt, FDI and GDP was found. According to the results, current transfers' contribution to the country's economy is more than government debts. It is suggested that the government should focus more on foreign direct investments than foreign debts and current transfers in the long term.