Organizer 1
Raul Hinojosa
Professor and Director
North American Integration and Development Center UCLA


Tel: 310-825-8956
Fax: 310-825-8574
Email:hinojosa@attbi.com, hinojosa@ucla.edu







Workshop description:
How can sending countries encourage development in migrant-sending regions, particularly taking advantage of remittances and transnational ties? “Sending” countries have increasingly begun to realize the actual and potential revenue remittances from their emigrants abroad represent. Many believe migrant-produced remittances, when channeled by good public policies, have the potential to reduce poverty and out-migration. Countries are trying various strategies to encourage conationals abroad to channel these monies to productive projects rather than simply consumption by individual families. The first half of the workshop will discuss international comparisons, as policymakers and academics discuss policies and perspectives regarding remittances, migration and development in Asia, Africa and other parts of Latin America. We will examine specific cases and examples where remittances have contributed to productive development in the “sending” society. We will conceive of transnational belonging as public policy: how does a “homeland” state encourage its emigrants to create diaspora formations inclined to “give back” financially? And finally, the workshop will pose the question: Can migrants and their earnings ultimately comprise a significant part of the solution to the economic conditions that caused them to emigrate in the first place? The second half of this workshop will be a case-study of Mexico, which received 9 billion dollars in official remittances in the year 2001 – its second-largest source of foreign income after petroleum – and has begun several government programs aiming development efforts at migrant-sending regions. Academics and policymakers will discuss the impact of remittances on the regions that receive them, and will review various recent government initiatives designed to channel these remittances into productive projects, infrastructure developments and direct investment.





Presenters / participants /other information
Lic. Mario Riestra
Conofam, Mexico

"The Mexican States and Policies for Migration-Driven Development"

Dr. Nuno Dias
SociNova - New University of Lisbon

"The Hindu Diaspora and the Negotiations of Identity: Assessing some concepts"


Dr. Paule Cruz Takash
University of California, Los Angeles

"Transnational Migration and Political Empowerment in North America"

Dr. Raúl Hinojosa
North American Integration and Development Center UCLA

"Transnational Communities and Economic Development in North and Central
America"





Summary:
Migration has usually been considered a challenge mostly for receiving countries; today, sending countries are increasing assuming responsibility for developing migrant-sending regions, and encouraging their diasporas of conationals abroad to invest in the economic development of the “origin” state. We will discuss government development programs, ways in which “everyday” remittances can be put to more productive use in the areas of high-outmigration to which they are usually destined, as well as examining models for migrants abroad to invest in infrastructure and economic development efforts.



Date: 12 September


(1 session is 3 hours)
Number of sessions: 1

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