Dissertation Research: The Role of Overseas Remittances in Village Economy

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This project supports the dissertation research of a cultural anthropologist from the University of Hawaii who will study the role of remittances as a household strategy in Tonga, a small Polynesian kingdom. Remittances, meaning money sent to relatives by migrant workers in other countries, are increasingly important in many Third World countries. This research will identify the extent to which migration and remittances are employed as a strategy to meet household goals; will document how remittance income is incorporated into the village economy; and will analyze how remittances affect village social organization. Methods used include participant observation, archival research on government statistics, formal life-history interviews with villagers, and a survey of household resources. This research will illuminate the role of remittances in the economic life of the local community from which the emigrants departed. It will provide useful information to people concerned about the impact of remittance income on poor societies as well as the values and concerns that impel certain individuals to migrate while others stay home. This kind of knowledge can generalize to help us understand migration within one country (i.e., between north and south USA) as well as between countries.