Migrant Remittances: An Untapped Resource for International Development?

• In Event: 242 - Section on International Migration Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 07. Remittances

Abstract

Untapped resources are hard to come by in the realm of international development. Migrant remittances, however, represent a relatively unexploited resource bank for developing countries. Still, researchers have long debated the potential for migrant remittances to incite community development. In this article I rekindle this debate by comparing the development effects of household remittances with investments made through the remittance-led development program 3x1 para migrantes in Guanajuato, Mexico. Regression analysis demonstrates that while household remittances repress development outcomes across Guanajuato’s 46 municipalities, investments made through the 3x1 program have a positive effect on indicators of municipal wellbeing. The results of this research have meaningful implications for policy makers in both Mexico and other regions of the world currently experiencing high levels of migration.

Author

• Benjamin Waddell, Adams State University