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Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service
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Institute for the Study of International Migration
Applying the best in social science, legal and policy expertise to the complex and controversial issues raised by international migration.

Research Consortium on Remittances in Conflict and Crises

Introduction
Description
Publications
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Members

Introduction: Remittances in war-torn countries

In conditions of violence, instability and poor governance, normal commercial investment is limited, market transactions are impeded and international assistance may not serve the purposes intended. Migrant remittances, contributions and investments do not decline, however. Not surprisingly, migration is a frequent response to situations where livelihoods are threatened by insecurity, institutional weakness, ethnic and religious discrimination and repeated disasters. Yet, it is often difficult for the migrants to find places of refuge and work, and challenging for them to send money and other goods home. Few researchers have engaged in sustained systematic research on the relationships of the migrants to their troubled homelands or on the impacts of their continuing contributions to their homes and communities.

International migration, migrant remittances, global networks of trade, technology and cultural exchanges, and the international links of criminals and terrorists are issues of paramount importance, involving millions of people and billions of dollars. It is well understood that movements of people, transfers of resources and the spread of ideas have strong implications for building peace or sustaining war, for development, recovery from disasters, and for economic livelihoods. The challenge for research today is to build a comprehensive understanding both of the linkages and the implications. The relevant issues intersect and cannot be studied in isolation.

Despite significant progress in data collection both on remittance transfers and regarding the migrants who send them, there are large and well recognized gaps in information and analysis. Given the widespread instability in so many parts of the world, it is important to focus attention on the effects of migrant remittances and other transfers to places beset by conflict and crises, where government and financial institutions are weak or non-functioning. Affected citizens in these countries are likely to be particularly dependent on income flows from outside, including official development assistance and, increasingly, on private transfers from relatives. Likewise, a great deal remains to be learned about the roles assumed by diasporas and other migrant communities from conflict, crisis and disaster prone countries.

The Research Consortium on Remittances in Conflict and Crisis (RCRCC) was established with a Secretariat at the Institute for the Study of International Migration, Georgetown University in November 2005. A group of researchers from several centers and universities in Europe and North America came together in a workshop sponsored by the Institute and the International Peace Academy of New York. The group represented different perspectives and institutional priorities sharing a concern with migration and remittances associated with conflict and crisis countries. A second meeting was held at Georgetown University in May 2006 under a grant from the Canadian International Development Research Center, IDRC. This meeting included several participants from southern venues whose research and potential research is fundamental for the field. The agenda was devoted to discussions of methodologies of remittance research applicable to unstable environments and vulnerable diasporas. A brief paper was drawn up to delineate RCRCC's 'Focus, Priorities, Actions, and Research Agenda'. The meeting followed a companion gathering on methodology held at George Washington University.

The Research Consortium

The intention of the group of researchers of RCRCC is to conduct research which, individually and collectively, would yield reliable information and better understanding of the issues described above, with the ultimate hope of affecting policy in a constructive manner. The meetings have defined the population of concern to be migrant diasporas living in both the global north and south whose countries of origin are institutionally weak, conflictive or in crisis; the recipients of migrant resources in these countries and in third country locations, including refugees. The resources transferred encompass:

  • Remittances in cash and kind

  • Economic investments (potential development implications)

  • Transfers of goods and services (including knowledge transfers)

  • Donations for collective benefit, such as humanitarian relief

  • Inputs from human capital

The research agenda on remittances in conflict and crisis countries poses significant methodological challenges and demands innovative multi faceted approaches.

The Research Consortium:

  • Has a 'confederal' structure, meaning that it is a grouping of institutes pursuing research autonomously, but informed by common aims, research questions and methodologies that aim to make comparison and data exchange possible.

  • Has established a secretariat at Georgetown University and charged to: maintain a website to share information, bibliographies and ideas; keep track of and disseminate work in progress and proposals; assemble relevant information related to the ongoing work of individual and institutional members; encourage cooperation and coordination in the framework of individual initiatives.

  • Seeks opportunities for its members to make presentations to professional meetings and seminars, to donor institutions and organizations, and to policy makers representing particular regions.

  • Will hold an annual meeting, funding permitting.

  • Is open to other institutional and individual participants sharing common concerns and research interests.

The Research Consortium Publications

  1. Remittances in Conflict and Crises: How Remittances Sustain Livelihoods in War, Crises, and Transitions to Peace, (Patricia Fagen with Micah Bump) International Peace Academy, Washington, DC, www.ipacademy.org/Programs/Research/ProgReseSecDev_Pub.html
  2. Remittances in crises: A Haiti case study, (Patricia Fagen) Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute, London.
  3. Diaspora Circulation And Transnationalism As Agents For Change In The Post Conflict Zones Of Sri Lanka, (Rudhramoorthy Cheran) http://www.berghof-foundation.lk/scripts/DiasporaCirc.pdf
  4. The Impact of International Informal Banking on Canada: A Case Study of Tamil Transnational Money Transfer Networks (Undiyal), Canada/Sri Lanka (Rudhramoorthy Cheran and Sharryn Aiken) http://www.lcc.gc.ca/research_project/cheran-main-en.asp
  5. Diasporas and Development, (Manuel Orozco) Inter-American Dialogue.
  6. West African Financial Flows and Opportunities for Small Businesses, (Manuel Orozco) Inter-American Dialogue.
  7. Transnational Families Report with Methodology, (Manuel Orozco) Inter-American Dialogue.
  8. Remittances and the Local Economy in Latin America, (Manuel Orozco) Inter-American Dialogue.
  9. Understanding the Remittance Economy in Haiti, (Manuel Orozco) Inter-American Dialogue.
  10. Remittances in Fragile Settings: a Somali Case Study, (Anna Lindley) Households in Conflict Network.
  11. Protracted Displacement and Remittances: the View from Eastleigh, Nairobi, (Anna Lindley) UNHCR Policy Development and Evaluation Service.
  12. Migrants' Remittances in Insecure Settings: the Somali Case, (Anna Lindley) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, University of Oxford.
  13. The Early Morning Phone Call: Remittances from a Refugee Diaspora Perspective, (Anna Lindley) Centre on Migration, Policy and Society, University of Oxford.

The Research Consortium

In order that the Consortium can fulfill its charge to "assemble relevant information related to the ongoing work of individual and institutional members; and encourage cooperation and coordination in the framework of individual initiatives," members and member institutions have sent their coordinates and biographical information to the Secretariat. At a later stage, this website will be prepared to keep track of ongoing research and areas of potential collaboration.

Institutions and projects engaged in related research

Individuals - Click for Bios

  • Susan Banki, Key Centre, Griffith University. susanbanki@gmail.com
  • Richard Black, DRC, University of Sussex. r.black@sussex.ac.uk
  • Micah Bump, ISIM, Georgetown University. bumpm@georgetown.edu
  • Jorgen Carling, PRIO. Jorgen@PRIO.NO
  • Rudrhramoorthy Cheran. York University. Toronto cheran@uwindsor.ca
  • Patricia Fagen, ISIM, Georgetown University. pwf@georgetown.edu
  • Paul Harvey, ODI. PHarvey@odi.org.uk
  • Nicholas Van Hear, COMPAS. nicholas.vanhear@compas.ox.ac.uk
  • Karin Von Hippel, CSIS. KvonHippel@csis.org
  • Cindy Horst, PRIO. Horst@PRIO.NO
  • Karen Jacobson, Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts. Karen.Jacobsen@tufts.edu
  • Gregory Kent, Roehampton University. G.Kent@roehampton.ac.uk
  • Randolph Kent, Kings College. Randolph.kent@kcl.ac.uk
  • Anna Lindley, COMPAS. anna.lindley@qeh.ox.ac.uk
  • Stephen Lubkemann, George Washington University. sl02@gwu.edu
  • Samuel Maimbo, World Bank. smaimbo@worldbank.org
  • Susan Martin, ISIM, Georgetown University. martinsf@georgetown.edu
  • Christopher McDowell. City University. Christopher.McDowell.1@city.ac.uk
  • Kathleen Newland, Migration Policy Inst. knewland@migrationpolicy.org
  • Ceri Oeppen, University of Sussex. c.j.oeppen@sussex.ac.uk
  • Manuel Orozco, Inter American Dialogue. DC morozco@thedialogue.org
  • Roula el Rifai, IDRC. RelRifai@idrc.ca
  • Alistair King-Smith. DFID.A-King-Smith@dfid.gov.uk
  • Kevin Savage, ODI. ksavage@odi.org.uk
  • Don Terry, MIF/IDB. Washington Donaldt@iadb.org
  • Necla Tschirgi, International Peace Academy. tschirgi@ipacademy.org
  • Helen Young, Feinstein International Famine Center, Tufts. Helen.Young@tufts.edu
  • Emma Naughton, The International Development Research Centre. enaughton@idrc.ca
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