More than two decades of internal fighting and political unrest have seen millions of Congolese people leave their home country in search of a better future for themselves and their families in other parts of the world. This migratory movement exposed most of them to the significance of remittances as a means to support the loved ones left behind. Remittances from abroad play a key role in enhancing the standard of living of households in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The study therefore analyzed remitting behaviours of migrants based in the Western Cape province of South Africa and the impact of their remittances on recipients’ livelihood in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study made use of primary and secondary data collected from various sources, then applied qualitative methods for analyzing both the remittance senders’ behaviour and the impact on recipient households. After a critical analysis, the study found that remittances increase the income of recipients, help alleviate poverty, improve recipients’ ability to access basic services such as health and education, and contribute to employment creation by providing capital for microenterprises and community based projects. The study also found that migrants based in the Western Cape would rather use informal channels instead of formal channels due to high costs and compliance requirements. One contribution of this study is the finding that current policies in relation with the remittance industry in South Africa and in Congo can definitely be improved in order to increase remittances inflows both ways, and thus meaningfully impact both countries’ economies.

Remittances form an important source of revenue for many farm households and rural communities. In spite of their significance, how remittances are expended is not well studied. Neoclassical economic theory indicates that the welfare of recipients unequivocally improves as the household budget line increases. Which new combination of goods, such as production and leisure, is selected on the budget line depends on household and community preferences. The literature suggests many factors influence preferences. The original resource endowment defines production possibilities. Regional economic conditions determine agricultural profitability and alternative investment opportunities. The volume and timing of remittances influence a farmer's willingness to accept risk. Socio-economic survey data from 54 households in the village of El Rosario Micaltepec, Puebla in the Mixteca Baja region illustrate the conditions under which certain households may choose to invest remittances in agricultural production. Data on the activities of the migrant village associations of two villages are used to evaluate the circumstances that favor community investment of migrant-donated funds over their conspicuous consumption.

Thesis (Ph.D.(Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 222-241).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of Political Science, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Fordham University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis focuses on gender and scale as key aspects of the rural-to-urban migration process in China. Its specific aim is to connect economic and social reasons for rural women's migration towards urban factory work. Contemporary large-scale migration studies show inconsistencies and contradictions concerning reasons for migration, especially as it relates to gender. Thus, migration research often emphasizes the positive social changes experienced by women workers, in effect signaling that the most important needs of women migrants can be satisfied without economic gains. In contrast, the proposed study seeks to show that social and economic reasons intertwine within women's experiences of and explanations for their migration. The theoretical framework for the proposed study is based on postmodern understandings of gender, economy, and society. Data for the study was acquired through qualitative techniques, specifically through interviews with workers. The findings of this study supported the thesis that both economic and social factors informed women's decision to become migrants. In addition, this study revealed specific experiences of women workers related to migration. Thus, women decided to become migrants largely because their education allowed them to gain employment in urban areas and ability to gain independent income. Although social networks played a large role in the recruitment of rural women workers, they were not necessary to find employment. Experiences of v vi factory work reveal that the relationship between women and their employers are less restrictive than expected. In addition, rural women's experiences of being migrants in the city, although constrained by timings of factory work, encompass both material and social forms of consumption. Overall, migration outcomes reflected changing social status of women in the rural areas. Thus, this research approaches migration as a dynamic process. Embedded in this process are fluid identities of migrant women workers. Through questioning the meanings of 'social' and 'economic' migration, this research adds to existing studies on gender and migration in China and contextualizes the value of women workers to China's economy. Alongside, the study moves away from shop floor politics to the wider space outside the factory, thus linking urban and rural contexts. In a broader sense, this research aims to inform theories related to the economics and politics of migration through adding a spatial component to social understandings of the gendered migration process.

This dissertation examines the effects of migration and remittances on family members left behind in sending areas. It consists of a systematic review of the literature on the effects of remittances on recipients’ health and empirical analyses that examine the effects of migration and remittances on medical spending and women’s empowerment. In 2019, 270 million international migrants sent over $530 billion dollars in remittances to their home countries. This project advances the literature on the effects of these processes. The empirical analyses use panel and cross-sectional survey data from the 2013 and 2018 waves of the Kerala Migration Survey, a large-scale longitudinal survey conducted in Kerala, India that followed the families of thousands of migrants from 1998 to 2018. The panel analyses used logistic and linear fixed-effects models, and the cross-sectional analyses used factor analysis, linear regression, and two-step Heckman selection models to assess the effects of migration and remittances on medical spending and women’s empowerment. The review found that migration and remittances play an important role in shaping health among individuals in transnational families. Remittances had the most pronounced benefits in areas with limited resources and social protections. They improved health by enabling households to pay for healthy food, medical treatment, and housing, and they improved mental health by easing financial constraints. Remittances were less beneficial in areas with strong safety nets, support systems, and community ties because family members were not dependent on remittances to provide basic needs. Migration and remittances shaped medical spending. Panel and cross-sectional analyses found that migrant households spent more money on medical expenses compared to non-migrant households. The panel analysis found that, compared to non-migrant households, households that received low levels of remittances spent less on medical care and households that received high levels of remittances spent a greater amount of money on medical care. After adjusting for health status and covariates, the cross-sectional analysis found positive and linear relationships between remittances and amount of medical spending. Although out-of-pocket costs of medical care in India can be high and although remittances are often used to maintain and increase social status, remittances were positively associated with increased medical spending in transnational families. Migration and remittances also influenced dimensions of women’s empowerment. They increased women’s management of household responsibilities, including decision-making and income control. However, migration decreased women’s internalized social status and neither migration nor remittances had meaningful effects on spousal attitudes. These findings suggest that women in migrant households may have taken on more household responsibilities, but their social status did not improve. This dissertation’s results suggest that migration and remittances influence health outcomes, certain dimensions of women’s empowerment, and ability to pay for to medical care in Kerala and other settings. However, their effects vary by context and indicators used to measure outcomes. Programs and policies should maximize the benefits of migration and remittances while reducing their associated harms.