Remittances and the positives and negatives of migration

• Remittances


  The transfer of money by a foreign worker to an individual in their home country
• Global GDP made up of remittance: $413 bil
• Remittances


  • 3x more likely to reach the people directly than international aid
• Why do some ACs receive remittances?

  Students receive money from abroad
• 27.3% of Nepal's GDP is made up of remittances
• Positives of migration


  • Stability
  • Economic growth
  • Development
• How migration creates stability

  1. Migrant remittances contribute to the recipients economy

  2. Youthful migrants help generate pensions in countries with aging population
• Haiti receives $1.5 million from remittances
• How migration creates economic growth

  1. GDP and tax rates are increased by more working migrants

  2. Migrants also fill labour shortages which helps the multiplier affect
• How migration furthers development

  Skills and knowledge acquired by returning migrants can benefit the country of origin
• Stat for development skilled workers in major companies
• Immigrants bring €3,300 into the German economy
• Negatives of migration


  • Inequality
  • Conflict between people
  • Injustices
• How migration creates inequalities

  1. Countries lose youthful workers who have skills - this inhibits economic development

  2. Brain drain - developed countries attract many better educated immigrants so the country of origin loses out

  3. Migrant remittances can create inequalities between families who receive them and those who don't
• Example of the Brain Drain

  • East Asia to the US
• How migration creates conflict

  1. Social conflicts can arise between host communities and the new arriving immigrants may find integration as difficult

  2. High levels of immigrants populations can increase the pressure on services
• 21% of Boston residents were unhappy with the level of Polish migration in 2004
• How migration creates injustices

  1. Migrants can be more vulnerable to human rights violations as they may not know their rights in their settled country

  2. Treatment of asylum seekers in detention centres don't meet human rights standards
• 1.7 million migrants are kept in detention centres on the US Mexico border (2021)
• Haiti heavily relies on remittances
• Examples of potential conflict and injustices to do with migration

  • Detention centres in the Channel Tunnel at Calais - "the jungle"
  • The new fence high tech surveillance at the Bulgaria-Turkey border