Economics of Remittances

Kyrgyz feasts and migrant modernities: embedding remittances in a contested terrain

by Igor Rubinov

Migrating - Remitting -‘Building’- Dwelling: House-making as proxy presence in postsocialist Albania. in JRAI vol.16

by Dimitris Dalakoglou

This article examines the material culture of migration, focusing on migrants’ house-making projects in their... more This article examines the material culture of migration, focusing on migrants’ house-making projects in their countries of birth. In particular, it examines the houses built or refurbished by Albanians in their home-country, which is no longer their place of permanent residence. This is a widespread phenomenon in Albania, but it is also a frequently appearing practice amongst other international migrants. Why do migrants living outside their home-countries build houses there even though they do not plan to return? I seek to answer this question in the case of Albania by focusing empirically on the process of constructing these houses, rather than merely on the material entity of the house
as such. I propose that such ‘house-making’ by Albanian migrants is not only a simple house-building process; it also ensures a constant dwelling and dynamic ‘proxy’ presence for
migrants in their community of origin. These ethnographic observations have further significance for the anthropological study of both houses and international migration.

DO REMITTANCES CROWD OUT THE GOVERNMENT'S REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICY?

by Ikuho Kochi

Family prestige as old-age security: Evidence from rural Senegal

by Jean-Luc Demonsant

This paper aims at studying the self-enforcing family contract between a migrant son and his ageing father who... more This paper aims at studying the self-enforcing family contract between a migrant son and his ageing father who remained in the village and expects to receive support. In 2004, a household survey conducted in the Senegal River Valley was especially designed to account for the complex socio-political structure of the local institutions. The empirical results suggest that the social rank of the family within the village is a key to the enforcement mechanisms at work. Indeed, while belonging to a prestigious family lowers the probability of migrating, it raises the probability of frequently remitting to the patriarch. Conversely, sons from historically disadvantaged groups are more likely to both migrate and cut ties with their village of origin, including their family. Additional qualitative evidence is rather suggestive that despite their economic success, low status migrants keep being stigmatized in their village of origin. Hence, inheriting his father's dominant position in the village represents a strong incentive for a migrant son from a high-ranked family to remit. Under such circumstances, patriarchs from prestigious families only, can actually rely on their migrating sons as old-age security.

Utilitarianism and Immigration

by Diana Todea

Published in The Scientific Journal of Humanistic Studies, nr. 3 (2), 2010, Argonaut Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Website: http://revistainternationala.com/

In this paper I analyze the impact that immigration has on the culture of nations and on different categories of... more In this paper I analyze the impact that immigration has on the culture of nations and on different categories of people. Firstly, I shall present the existing arguments in the literature focused on the effects of immigration on the culture of nations, in what extent the effects are negative or on the contrary positive. Secondly, I will present the consequences of immigration on the following categories of people: entrepreneurs, remaining individuals from the sending countries, native workers and employers from the host countries and the immigrants themselves. These consequences will be analyzed in relation with the labor market, the influence on the local wages and on sending and receiving countries.

Heroes at Home? Disputing Popular Images of Nonmigrating Husbands of Overseas Filipina Workers

by Phillip Gresham

(Sept. 2011) MSc thesis of Phillip Gresham, supervised by Lothar Smith and seconded by Ton van Naerssen. Awarded an 8.5/10 on the Dutch grading system (more information available here: http://www.nuffic.nl/international-organisations/docs/publications/Gradingsystems.pdf).

Abstract -- Filipino migration is characterized by taking up positions abroad that conform to gender roles, while... more Abstract -- Filipino migration is characterized by taking up positions abroad that conform to gender roles, while nonmigrating household members take over the duties of the absent migrant. When those duties do not conform to one’s gender role, one is less likely to perform the duty. In the case of a mother migrating, the father (who is “traditionally” seen as the main breadwinner, but not as the primary parent) is put into a position wherein he earns less than his wife and is expected to take care of the children. However, men are also commonly considered less capable of raising children, despite communications technology having advanced so that dual parenting can still be accomplished from abroad; fathers do not have to be seen as the only parents in this situation. The stigmatization that men experience as a result of their wives migrating has a serious effect on their feelings of masculinity and is further exacerbated by the “New Heroes” national script put forward by the government, which praises migrants as saving the nation while ignoring the equal (or greater) labor carried out in their absence. This thesis, built upon fieldwork conducted in Cebu City, disputes the widespread reputation of men as incapable fathers who rely entirely upon their wives’ remittances, and advocates calling more attention to the gender- and vocation-biased praise of the New Heroes propaganda.

Migrant transfers in the MENA region: A two way street in which traffic is changing

by George Naufal

While remittances from the GCC countries to Asia slowed down during the crisis, there is no evidence of large... more While remittances from the GCC countries to Asia slowed down during the crisis, there is no evidence of large decreases. On the other hand, remittances to several MENA countries decreased during 2009, but the evidence for 2010 suggests a reversal
of this pattern. Most of the recent labour policies adopted in the region have been directed towards improving the conditions of foreign workers and there is still a considerable demand for foreign labour in the region. As such, the future may bring extra competition between Asian workers and workers from other MENA countries for jobs in the GCC countries.

“Wealth is Not What You Own, but What You Give Away”: Africa's Diasporas and Giving Back to Africa

by Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome

Remittances from Sweden: An Exploration of Swedish Survey Data

by Lisa Pelling

Co-autored with Bo Malmberg and Charlotta Hedberg, Working Paper for the Instiute for Future Studies, Stockholm

Reverse Remittances: Internal Migration and Rural-to-Urban Remittances in Industrializing South Korea

by Erik Mobrand

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Feb. 2012

Migration to cities is supposed to produce a flow of remittances back to villages; those remittances, in turn, can... more Migration to cities is supposed to produce a flow of remittances back to villages; those remittances, in turn, can contribute to rural development. The South Korean experience contradicts these expectations. Surveys reveal, surprisingly, that migrants to cities in Korea were net recipients of financial and material transfers. Why? This analysis finds that decision-rule models that highlight family strategies and norms help make sense of variations across and within Korean families in their remittance behaviour but do not explain why rural-to-urban transfers were so high in Korea specifically. The high level of reverse remittances is most likely a product of Korea’s quick urban transition: dislocations caused by colonialism, war, and a heavily urban-based pattern of industrialisation gave rise to permanent migrations from villages to large cities while encouraging the bypassing of forms of mobility which benefit villages and small towns. Migration drained rural communities in Korea, though reverse transfers might have contributed to national development. The essay concludes that debates about the developmental potential of migrant remittances should pay more attention to reverse flows and reflect more on the circumstances under which transfers contribute to development or stagnation in communities of origin.

Remittances and the global financial crisis

by Ibrahim Sirkeci

Co-authored with Dilip Ratha

Migrant remittances are an important source of external finance for developing countries. The current financial crisis... more Migrant remittances are an important source of external finance for developing countries. The current financial crisis is believed to have influenced migrant remittance flows as well as volume and patterns of use of remittances. In this special issue, a collection of cases from around the world is presented to understand the immediately felt effects of the crisis. Potential influences due to the crisis impact on migration patterns are yet to be seen and studied.

Migration, Remittances, and Household Strategies

by Jeffrey Cohen

Paper will be officially published in October, enjoy, Annual Review of Anthropology, volume 46

In this review, I examine the meaning, place, and role of remittances for migrants (movers) and for their sending... more In this review, I examine the meaning, place, and role of remittances for migrants (movers) and for their sending households and communities. I define remittances as more than economic and explore the cultural and social value of remittances as well as the ways in which transnational
space is created as movers and nonmovers interact. Although
remittances are often critical to the well-being and survival of migrant sending households, this review also defines the costs that movers face as they remit and the positive as well as negative impacts remittances can hold for sending households.

The value, costs, and meaning of transnational migration in rural Oaxaca, Mexico. Migration Letters, volume 6(1): 15-25.

by Jeffrey Cohen

Co authored with Bernardo Rios and Lise Byars

Rural Oaxacan migrants are defined as quintessential transnational
movers, people who access rich social networks... more Rural Oaxacan migrants are defined as quintessential transnational
movers, people who access rich social networks as they move between
rural hometowns in southern Mexico and the urban centers
of southern California. The social and cultural ties that characterize
Oaxacan movers are critical to successful migrations, lead to jobs
and create a sense of belonging and shared identity. Nevertheless,
migration has socio-cultural, economic and psychological costs. To
move the discussion away from a framework that emphasizes the
positive transnational qualities of movement we focus on the costs
of migration for Oaxacans from the state’s central valleys and Sierra
regions.

Oaxacan Migration and Remittances as they Relate to Mexican Migration Patterns

by Jeffrey Cohen

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies,36:1,149 — 161

Oaxacan migration has grown in recent years, yet there are still many questions about its overall pattern and how it... more Oaxacan migration has grown in recent years, yet there are still many questions about its overall pattern and how it relates to Mexican migration in general. This paper has two goals. First it summarises Oaxacan migration and notes the importance of remittances and internal as well as international movement. Second, it compares Oaxacan movement to general patterns of Mexican migration. While Oaxacan migrants look much like
migrants from other parts of Mexico, there are important differences.

Keywords: Oaxaca; Remittances; Migration Patterns; Mexico

Migrants' Remittances and Savings in Nepal: Micro-level Evidence from Nepal

by Animesh Giri

Non-Resident Nepalis as investors in Nepal: An attempt to assess the real opportunities they offer

by Basanta Thapa

highschool project paper

assessment of the Nepali diaspora’s potential as investors in Nepal. assessment of the Nepali diaspora’s potential as investors in Nepal.

Remittances und Schulbildung: Bewertung der Auswirkung von Remittances auf den Schulbesuch anhand von Fallstudien auf der Haushaltsebene

by Basanta Thapa

term paper

exploring the causality between remittances and the education levels of the remittance receiver’s children by... more exploring the causality between remittances and the education levels of the remittance receiver’s children by comparing several household level studies.

The Human Dynamics of Migrant Transnationalism

by Jørgen Carling

Included in an electronic special issue of Ethnic and Racial Studies (ERS) on Transnationalism and diasporas (2011) with a selection of ten papers published since the first volume of ERS.

How is migrant transnationalism shaped by the human dynamics of relationships between migrants and non-migrants? This... more How is migrant transnationalism shaped by the human dynamics of relationships between migrants and non-migrants? This question is addressed through an analysis of asymmetries between migrants and non-migrants in three spheres of transnational life: the moralities of transnationalism, information and imagination in transnational relations, and transnational resource inequalities. Understanding transnational practices such as sending remittances and facilitating migration, it is argued, requires attention to the dynamics of the relationships between individuals. Fieldwork material from Cape Verde and the Netherlands is combined with secondary literature from other parts of the world in order to develop an analytical framework for comparative research.

Do migrants improve their hometowns? Remittances and access to public services in Mexico, 1995-2000

by Claire Adida

Co-authored with Desha M. Girod
Forthcoming, Comparative Political Studies

How do citizens in developing countries access public services? Scholars study this question by emphasizing the role... more How do citizens in developing countries access public services? Scholars study this question by emphasizing the role of government, measuring government performance as household access to public services, such as clean water and sanitation. However, the authors argue that the state does
not hold a monopoly on provision of such utilities: Citizens in developing countries often turn to nonstate providers for basic utilities. In Mexico, the authors find that direct money transfers from migrants, known as remittances, are used to provide household access to public services. The statistical analysis across Mexico’s 2,438 municipalities demonstrates that
citizens improve their own access. The results also contribute new evidence to the literature on remittances and development by offering a micro-level explanation for how remittances affect both the availability and the source of basic utilities. The findings suggest that the measures scholars typically
associate with government performance may in fact capture nonstate provision of basic utilities.

Tied to Migrants

by Lothar Smith