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Although the debate on the migration–remittances–development nexus in Latin America has advanced considerably in recent years, the literature has yet to analyse the socio-political implications of the process of Financialisation of Remittances (FOR) in the region. This paper sheds light on the relationship between the FOR and diaspora engagement policies in Colombia, thus contributing to a growing body of critical analyses on diasporas as agents of development and processes of financialisation beyond the global north. Since the turn of this century, Colombian governments have invested in consolidating part of the state apparatus to capture and maintain the diaspora and their resources connected to the motherland. The paper uses a case study approach centred on a systematic examination of the political–institutional apparatus developed to engage the diaspora and financialise remittances in Colombia over the past 20 years, incorporating a temporal and historical perspective of the triad migration–development–financialisation trends at the national level. It argues that the FOR is a centrepiece of the state's broader strategy for the symbolic and material redefinition of (transnational) membership, in which both, embracing – by extending social and political rights – and tapping – into migrant households’ connections to global circuits of capital and finance – elements co-exist This case is illustrative of how a growing number of states are adopting models of diaspora engagement that, on the one hand, feed into the dominant financialised model of development; and on the other, serve as an instrumental strategy in the emerging architecture of the global governance of migration.

The COVID-19 health crisis has put to the test Latin America’s already precarious social protection systems. This paper comparatively examines what type of social protection has been provided, by whom, and to what extent migrant and refugee populations have been included in these programmes in seven countries of the region during the COVID-19 pandemic, between March and December 2020. We develop a typology of models of social protection highlighting the assemblages of actors, different modes of protection and the emerging migrants’ subjectification in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay in relation to Non-Contributory Social Transfer (NCST) programmes and other actions undertaken by state and non-state actors. The analysis is based on 85 semi-structured interviews with representatives of national and local governments, International Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, and migrant-led organisations across 16 cities, and a systematic review of regulatory frameworks in the country-case studies. The proposed typology shows broad heterogeneity and complexity regarding different degrees of inclusion of migrant and refugee populations, particularly in pre-existing and new NCST programmes. These actions are furthering notions of migrant protection that are contingent and crisis-driven, imposing temporal limitations that often selectively exclude migrants based on legal status. It also brings to the fore the path-dependent nature of policies and practices of exclusion/inclusion in the region, which impact on migrants’ effective access to social and economic rights, while shaping the broader dynamics of migration governance in the region.

Much has been discussed in the international literature about the relationship between family arrangements and migration decision-making, although few studies have done so through the analysis of q...

América Latina y el Caribe es una región de origen, destino y tránsito de gran dinamismo para la migración internacional. Según la última ronda censal, el patrón migratorio de la región presenta algunas continuidades, así como cambios en el volumen y la dirección de los flujos, y en la composición y características de la población migrante, sobre la cual poco sabemos. Este artículo presenta un análisis comparativo de la evolución de las dinámicas socioeconómica y demográfica de la migración internacional en el Eje Cafetero (Colombia) y la microrregión de Governador Valadares (Brasil), los principales centros de emigración de estos países. Se emplea un enfoque cuantitativo que incluye el análisis de los datos censales de emigración internacional de ambos países, que han sido poco explorados en la literatura, y, además, se cualifica la complejidad de los procesos migratorios a escala nacional y regional. Los resultados indican que los flujos han variado en sintonía con las dinámicas sociales, económicas y políticas regionales, nacionales e internacionales. Latin America and the Caribbean is a region of origin, destination and transit for substantial international migration. According to the most recent round of censuses, although some aspects of migratory patterns in the region remain unchanged, there have also been changes in the volume and direction of flows, and in the composition and characteristics of the migrant population, about which little is known. This article offers a comparative analysis of the socioeconomic and demographic trends in international migration in the coffee belt region in Colombia and the microregion of Governador Valadares in Brazil, the main centres of emigration from these two countries. A quantitative approach is employed, including analysis of census data on international emigration from these two countries —information that literature has not explored in detail— and an account of the complexities of migration processes at the national and regional levels. The results indicate that flows have varied according to regional, national and international social, economic and political developments.

In a comparative assessment of the pre-pandemic living conditions of migrants and refugees in six South American countries, we analyse the structural and contingent challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on these populations We argue that they are particularly exposed to the harmful effects of the pandemic, given their segmented incorporation into labour markets and their limited and fragmented access to and exercise of health, housing, and other social rights The evidence points to a significant deterioration in their livelihoods and social inclusion, and potential profound changes in (im)mobility regimes caused by pandemic-induced restrictive measures © 2020 Society for Latin American Studies

In recent years, the Colombian government has embraced the migration-development agenda by designing programmes to channel remittances to key sectors such as housing and finance, in an attempt to institutionalise migrant households’ transnational economic practices. However, little is known about migrant households’ multifaceted transnational practices, their broader impact on households’ and localities’ socioeconomic development and migrants’ engagement with these migration-for-development programmes. Drawing on qualitative data collected along the Colombia-UK migration network, this paper contrasts the narrow interpretation of development that underpins the migration-development agenda, as exemplified by the remittances-for-housing programmes implemented in Colombia, with the more nuanced social and economic contributions that remittance-financed housing investments have for migrant households’ and communities’ socioeconomic development. Thus, it provides a more nuanced interpretation of development to account for the often invisible, socioeconomic spinoffs that occur in the process of migrant households’ attempts to produce and reproduce their livelihoods transnationally

Recently, various Latin American governments have sought to render migrants as development agents by channelling remittances to specific sectors such as housing and finance. The available literatur...

This paper aims to contribute to the debate on the increasing inequalities in access to water and the concentration of the deficit among certain population groups. In particular, it seeks a better understanding of the multiple inequalities of access to water that can exist within a community that lacks a water supply system. Data collection took place in the community of Cristais (Ceará) and included the application of 232 questionnaires to all of the community's heads of household between May and July 2014. The findings reveal that the conditions of access to water in relation to quantity and physical and economic accessibility are not uniform within the community of Cristais and these inequalities derive from the various forms of vulnerability found in the community. Understanding how these inequalities in access function within an excluded group can contribute to the development of more effective public policies to tackle this problem. Resumen Este trabajo busca contribuir al debate sobre el aumento de las desigualdades en el acceso a agua y la concentración del déficit en determinados grupos de la población. En particular, busca una mejor comprensión de las múltiples desigualdades en el acceso a agua que pueden existir al interior de una misma comunidad que no posee Sistema de Abastecimiento de Agua. El articulo se basa en datos recogidos en la comunidad de Cristais (Ceará), que incluyó la aplicación de 232 cuestionarios al universo de los jefes de domicilio entre mayo y julio de 2014. Los hallazgos muestran que las condiciones de acceso a agua con relación a los aspectos de cantidad, accesibilidad física y económica de la comunidad de Cristais no son uniformes y son resultado de las diversas formas de vulnerabilidad encontradas en la comunidad. Entender como se dan las desigualdades de acceso al interior de un grupo excluido puede contribuir a la elaboración de políticas publicas más eficaces para enfrentar este problema. Resumo Este trabalho propõe-se a contribuir com o debate sobre o aumento das desigualdades no acesso à água e a concentração do déficit em determinados grupos populacionais. Em particular, busca uma melhor compreensão das múltiplas desigualdades de acesso à água que podem existir no interior de uma mesma comunidade que não conta com Sistema de Abastecimento de Água. A coleta de dados se realizou na comunidade de Cristais (Ceará) e compreendeu a aplicação de 232 questionários no universo dos chefes dos domicílios entre maio e julho de 2014. Os achados revelam que as condições de acesso à água nos aspectos da quantidade, acessibilidade física e econômica da comunidade de Cristais não são uniformes e são decorrentes das diversas formas de vulnerabilidade encontradas no local. Entender como se dão as desigualdades de acesso ao interior de um grupo excluído, pode contribuir para a elaboração de políticas públicas mais eficazes para enfrentar este problema.

Finance driven growth is providing a new development agenda for migrants’ remittances. Although there is a considerable amount of scholarship on migrants’ transnational social and economic practices and their potential development impacts in origin and destination countries, the migration–development nexus has yet to be examined as part of the globalising process of economic financialisation of the last three decades. In light of the growing importance of remittances as a source of finance for sending countries, migrant workers have emerged as important agents to be incorporated into the dynamics of the global financial system. Drawing on empirical data collected at the London–Colombia migration network, this paper explores the Colombian government’s efforts to channel remittances to housing and finance and migrant households’ (alternative) strategies for accessing housing transnationally. It argues that conceptualising migrants as transnational financial subjects is a useful tool for understanding the latest round of enthusiasm around the migration–development nexus. In particular, the recasting of migrants as agents of development is linked to wider attempts at the institutionalisation of migrants’ transnational socio-economic practices. These attempts are embedded in ideologically-driven neoliberal discourses of citizenship that privilege financial markets as the medium for households’ socioeconomic reproduction and ambition to exploit migrant households’ connection to broader circuits of capital and finance. However, the evidence suggests that Colombian migrant households are resisting these state-assigned financial subjectivities, which points to the government’s failure to shape the everyday actions of remitters and their families and thus, the limits and uncertainties of the process of neoliberal financialisation.

There has been a lack of attention given – in both academic literature and in research training – to providing graduate students with the necessary knowledge and skills to write for publication. The aim of this article is to explore our experiences of participating in a three-day residential postgraduate writing and publishing workshop that was designed to address skills provision in these terms. We reflect upon three specific issues in particular: demystifying the writing and publishing process, being mentored in a multidisciplinary context, and the politics and practices of co-authorship. The benefits of our participation in this workshop included increased confidence in writing, gaining the tools for navigating the publishing process, and personal and professional development as writers and scholars. We conclude by proposing that residential writing and publishing workshops might usefully be made available to a broader range of graduate students.