Consequences of Migration and Remittances for Mexican Transnational Communities

* We wish to thank John Connell, Richard Jones, and two anonymous reviewers for their advice, although the responsibility for its use is ours alone.

Abstract

To better understand the positive contributions return migrants and migrant remittances make in Latin American society, this paper offers a reevaluation of existing conceptual frameworks. Previous research dwelt upon the unproductive nature of expenditures and the difficulties facing return migrants as they reintegrate themselves in home communities, among other problems caused by migration. Drawing upon recent feminist scholarship and the growing body of literature focused on the positive aspects of “migradollars” (U.S. dollars returned by migrants) upon home communities, we propose that remittance investments should be analyzed for their progressive and satisficing effects. We focus on the potential range of household strategies for remittance investment, the ways migrant circulation patterns relate to family and household decision making, and the impact of remittances and migration upon community structure. Finally, using ethnographic data from rural Mexico, we illustrate our argument and demonstrate the dynamic nature of contemporary migration and migrant remittances.

Key Words:

• migration
• remittances
• household
• development
• Mexico
• Latin
• America

Notes

* We wish to thank John Connell, Richard Jones, and two anonymous reviewers for their advice, although the responsibility for its use is ours alone.