Money or Ideas? Financial and Social Remittances in Democratic Diffusion

• In Event: The Political Economy of Democratic Backsliding

Abstract

Existing literature on migration and democracy has documented the role of migrants in processes of democratization in their country of oirigin. In particular, a rapidly increasing research field has highlighted that the role that remittances sent by migrants play in influencing political perception and participation among families and friends in the country of origin. The two main types of remittances are financial (money and goods) and social (ideas and norms).  However, while the theoretical literature has clearly distinguished between these two types of remittances on political behaviour, the empirical literature has been lacking in this regard. Usually, surveys do not ask about social remittances, or if they do, both types of remittances usually go together. Given the increasing importance that social remittances have received in the literature across political science and political economy, we use a survey experiment to quantify and disentangle the individual effects of financial and social remittances on perceptions on migration, migrants and their role in politics and society. We draw on original data from a survey experiment (Vignette) in Morocco, a country with a longstanding important trajectory of emigration. We find that the destination country (democratic vs. non-democratic), financial and to some extent also social remittances are significant for the extent to which respondents welcome the experience and contribution of migrants across economic and political issues. We replicate this analysis with survey data including the same experiment in surveys with a narrower territorial scope in Romania and Turkey.

Authors

• Eva Ostergaard-Nielsen

• Stefano Camatarri, Autonomous University of Barcelona

• ahmed kadiri