Migrant networks as a basis for social control: Remittance incentives among Senegalese in France and Italy

Abstract

International audienceThe economic literature provides much evidence of the positive impact of social capital on migrants' economic outcomes, in particular through assistance upon arrival and insurance in times of hardship. Yet, although much less documented, migrant networks may well have a great influence on remittances to their home country and particularly to their origin households. Given all the services provided by the network, the fear of being ostracized by network members and being left with no support could provide incentives for migrants to commit to prevailing redistribution norms. In this perspective, remittances may be a fee that migrants pay to get access to network services. In this paper, we thus analyze to what extent migrant networks in the destination country influence the degree to which migrants meet the claims of those left behind. We first review existing models of remitting behavior and investigate how the potential role of networks could affect their main predictions. We then provide a simple illustrative theoretical framework to account for the double impact networks may have on remitting behavior, through the provision of services to migrants and the spread of information flows between home and host countries. We finally use an original dataset of 602 Senegalese migrants residing in France and Italy to explore the main predictions of our model

Asymmetry of Information within Family Networks

“…Rather than being a passive receiver, we find that he sets the terms of the transfers, either by exerting pressure to give on the donor or by holding the bargaining power during the exchange of services with the donor. This is consistent with the experimental evidence of Jakiela and Ozier (2015) and Ambler (2015), and the large ethnographic literature highlighting the importance of disapproval, shaming, ostracism and other means of pressure, as described and cited in Platteau (2012) and Chort, Gubert, and Senne (2012).…”

“…There is a large literature describing the pressure under which many households in developing countries find themselves to assist relatives (see Chort, Gubert, and Senne (2012) and Platteau (2012) among others). Individuals may be able to shame relatives who fail in helping them in times of known need, or make them feel guilty.…”

Past, present and future: how the Lithuanian Diaspora in the Netherlands accumulates human capital from social capital

“…The study represents an empirical contribution by strengthening insights into Lithuanians as a growing group of Eastern European migrants (Metykova 2010). This topic is timely, in view of the growing phenomenon of cross-border mobility and migration (Chort, Gubert, and Senne 2012;McIlwaine 2011), a prime policy concern for the European Union and beyond (European Commission 2013). However, within the migration debate there is also increasing recognition that people's reasons for migration are highly divergent, ranging from macro-level motives such as political or economic instability in the country of origin, to micro-level motives such as romantic pursuits, family reunification, educational pursuits, and so forth (De Jong and Fawcett 1981;Krieger 2004).…”

“…In this respect, social capital can be particularly helpful for migrants with low or devalued human capital in a foreign labour market context, through their connection to fellow natives (Åkesson 2013;Lamba 2003). However, other studies argue that social capital can have negative implications for migrants, limiting their scope of employment possibilities to specifically lowskilled positions (Kelly and Lusis 2006), or exerting social pressure to send remittances to family in the homeland (Chort, Gubert, and Senne 2012;Lindley, 2009). Therefore, social capital represents a double-edged sword in the context of migration, triggering both enabling and disabling consequences.…”

Irregular status, territorial confinement, and blocked transnationalism: legal constraints on circulation and remittances of Senegalese migrants in France, Italy, and Spain

“…Senegalese migrants in Spain may also be less enmeshed in social structures that encourage migrants to support families and communities in Senegal. In France, where the Senegalese community has been well established since the 1970s, hometown associations exert a strong social pressure on migrants to encourage them to keep financial connections with origin families and communities (Chort, Gubert, & Senne, 2012). In Italy, Murid organizations play an important role to remind migrants their social and economic obligations towards their home country (Kaag, 2008;Riccio, 2001).…”