Foreign Policy Blogs

Remittances

I’ve been meaning to post about remittances – the money that migrant workers send home – because they are specifically mentioned in the Great Decisions Show You don't hear that much about them, because they aren't usually used to fund giant initiatives, but they already account for more than Official Development Assistance.

But when I began my research I found that a very smart person named Thor just wrote about it on his blog, Don8 Aid, and did a terrific job covering the issue. With luck I’ll someday have something to add, but for now, Thor makes a persuasive argument that remittances should be encouraged by aid agencies through lowered transaction costs.

 

Author

Kevin Dean

Kevin Dean is a graduate student pursuing a master's degree in international conflict management and humanitarian emergencies at Georgetown University. Before returning to school in Fall 2006, he spent six years working in the former Soviet Union - most of that time spent in Central Asia. He has managed a diverse range of international development programs for the US State Department and USAID. He has also consulted for several UN agencies and international NGOs, and is fluent in Russian. Kevin is originally from Des Moines, Iowa and studied Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at the University of Iowa.