Embedding international migration: the response of Bolivian local governments and NGOs to international migration

Abstract

International migration is an integral part of the lives of many people in the South, and many households add remittances to their income in order to finance the daily costs of living that cannot be met by their traditional source of income. In the literature, a debate has emerged on the impacts of these remittances on development, focusing in particular on the micro level, namely the impact on households. Many studies also contend that national governments should try to redirect the impacts of remittances. However, the role of actors in local governance structures seems to be overlooked in this discussion. We argue that in the discussion on managing development through remittances, local governments and other stakeholders at the local level -such as NGOs -might also play a role, especially in those countries that have implemented decentralization. However, thus far, interventions aimed at leveraging remittance flows and facilitating migration processes are only in an initial phase. Our study of 12 municipalities in Bolivia shows that a lack of knowledge and capacities among local governments and NGOs is a decisive factor.

Migrants' Transnationality, Societal Transformation, and Locality: an Introduction

“…As part of these processes, local communities, actors, and governments may aim to attract or reject international migrants, either high or low skilled. Similarly, they may try to limit or encourage outmigration, attract remittances, channel investments, or concern themselves with the social problems arising from transnational dynamics (Nijenhuis, ). Against this background, migration scholars advocate a closer account of the interplay of scaling processes and the differential outlook these have across localities in relation to the processes of migration, local incorporation, and transnational network formation (Glick‐Schiller & Çağlar, ).…”

Social Mechanisms in Local Transformations: Towards a Conclusion

“…The last mechanism to be discussed, discursive standardisation , leads us back to the first question about the relevance of global trends. For example, in a study on local (development) policies in selected regions and towns, in Bolivia Nijenhuis () found that cross‐border migration is an issue in these cases and that remittances and other forms of exchange are discussed and evaluated carefully. However, there were no active efforts on the part of the respective government authorities to actively forge ties with their ‘diaspora’ abroad.…”

Does Migration Lead to Development? Or is it Contributing to a Global Divide?

“…The Burkinabé (inhabitants of Burkina Faso) are also migrating increasingly to Italy. The Bolivians, who were for a long time oriented towards Argentina in looking for work, migrated at the start of the new millennium in large numbers to Spain [62]. There is also increasing intercontinental migration, e.g., of Chinese who travel to Europe or the US via Kenya.…”

“…Conflicts are relatively quickly translated into inter-state problems; problems of discrimination and/or xenophobia (which also arise in the north), however, remain relatively invisible there, because the media pay attention mainly to tensions in the northern countries. Many Bolivians and Paraguayans have also returned to their own country from Argentina as a result of the economic crisis [62].…”