Remittance Outcomes and Migration: Theoretical Contests, Real Opportunities

In: Studies in comparative international development, Volume 40, Issue 1, p. 88-112

Abstract

In the debate on how best to approach the study of migrant remittances, the author reviews & critiques existing remittance studies in the social sciences to argue that micro-level approaches offer a vital alternative to the unidimensional approaches of the past. The current transnational character of migration is distinguished by the type & direction of movement of people & capital, & the types of remittances. Macro & micro level analysis of remittances in terms of dependency & development indicate that these approaches do not readily translate into the local, & the linkages of geography, history & transnationalism surpass the limitations of analysis of dependency & development by qualifying what is actually dependent in a given situation, & how that situation may lead to growth & development over time. References. J. Harwell