Restricted accessOtherFirst published online 2003-05
Transnational Migration and Development in Postwar Peripheral States: An Examination of Guatemalan and Salvadoran State Linkages with Their Migrant Populations in Los Angeles
This article examines politically motivated migration from El Salvador and Guatemala to the US. The author argues that the nature of these countries' insertion into the global economy require these states to devote considerable resources to establish relationships with their respective emigrant populations in the US. The Salvadoran immigrant hometown organizations have become incorporated into home country local development efforts at a higher level than their Guatemalan counterparts due to a more developed organizational structure, higher levels of interaction/collaboration with government officials, and a higher degree of democracy achieved in El Salvador as compared to Guatemala. Both Salvadoran and Guatemalan immigrant organizations gain some leverage over the process of local development and politics in these countries. However, government policies that attempt to channel remittances will contribute little to productive development at the local level in the absence of state-supported macroeconomic policies aimed at reducing socioeconomic disparities in Guatemala and El Salvador.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ayala, Edgar R. (1999) `Guatemalans Voting Abroad: El Voto en el Extranjero' , Report on Guatemala20(4): 5-5 .
2.
Basch, Linda G., Glick-Schiller, Nina and Szanton Blanc, Cristina (1994) Nations Unbound: Transnational Projects, Post-Colonial Predicaments, and Deterritorialized Nation-States. Langhorne, PA: Gordon and Breach .
3.
Bounds, Andrew (2002) `Return of Guatemalan Death Squads' , Financial Times 7 June: 8-8 .
4.
Brysk, Alison (1996) `Turning Weakness into Strength: The Internationalization of Indian Rights' , Latin American Perspectives23(2): 38-57 .
5.
Dresser, Denise (1993) `Exporting Conflict: Transboundary Consequences of Mexican Politics', in Abraham Lowenthal and Katrina Burgess (eds) The California-Mexico Connection, pp. 81-112. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press .
6.
Evans, Peter (2000) `Fighting Marginalization with Transnational Networks: Counter-Hegemonic Globalization' , Contemporary Sociology29(1): 230-241 .
7.
Gammage, Sarah (1998) La dimensión de genero en la pobreza, la desigualdad y la reforma macroeconómica en América Latina. San Salvador: PNUD (Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo) .
8.
Glick-Schiller, Nina and Fouron, Georges (1998) `Transnational Lives and National Identities: The Identity Politics of Haitian Immigrants', in Michael P. Smith and Luis Eduardo Guarnizo (eds) Transnationalism from Below: Communities-Identities Unbound (Vol. 6, Comparative Urban and Community Research), pp. 130-161. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
9.
Glick-Schiller, Nina, Basch, Linda G. and Szanton Blanc, Cristina (1995) `From Immigrant to Transmigrant: Theorizing Transnational Migration' , Anthropological Quarterly68(1): 48-63 .
10.
Goldring, Luin (1992) `Diversity and Community in Transnational Migration: A Comparative Study of Two Mexico-US Migrant Circuits', PhD dissertation, Cornell University.
11.
Goldring, Luin (1998) `The Power of Status in Transnational Social Spaces', in Michael P. Smith and Luis Eduardo Guarnizo (eds) Transnationalism From Below: Communities-Identities Unbound (Vol. 6, Comparative Urban and Community Research), pp. 165-195. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
12.
Goldring, Luin (2002) `The Mexican State and Transmigrant Organizations: Negotiating the Boundaries of Membership and Participation' , Latin American Research Review37(3): 55-99 .
13.
Gordon, David (1988) `The Global Economy: New Edifice or Crumbling Foundation' , New Left Review168(March/April): 24-64 .
14.
Guarnizo, Luis Eduardo (1998) `The Rise of Transnational Social Formations: Mexican and Dominican State Responses to Transnational Migration' , Political Power and Social Theory12: 45-95 .
15.
Guarnizo, Luis Eduardo and Smith, Michael Peter (1998) `The Locations of Transnationalism', in Michael P. Smith and Luis Eduardo Guarnizo (eds) Transnationalism From Below: Communities-Identities Unbound (Vol. 6, Comparative Urban and Community Research), pp. 3-34. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
16.
Hamilton, Nora and Stoltz Chinchilla, Norma (2001) Seeking Community in a Global City: Guatemalans and Salvadorans in Los Angeles. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press .
17.
Inter-American Development Bank (2002) `Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank and USAID Express Support as Central America Faces Coffee Crisis and Rural Development Crisis', Press Release, 5 April.
18.
Itzigsohn, Jose (1995) `Migrant Remittances, Labor Markets, and Household Strategies: A Comparative Analysis of Low-Income Households in the Caribbean Basin' , Social Forces74(2): 633-657 .
19.
Itzigsohn, Jose (2001) `Immigration and the Boundaries of Citizenship: The Institutions of Immigrants' Political Transnationalism' , International Migration Review34(4): 1126-1154 .
20.
Kearney, Michael (1991) `Borders and Boundaries of State and Self at the End of Empire' , Journal of Historical Sociology4(1): 52-74 .
21.
Keck, Margaret and Sikkink, Kathryn (1998) Activists Beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press .
22.
Landolt, Patricia, Autler, Lilian and Baires, Sonia (1999) `From Hermano Lejano to Hermano Mayor: The Dialectics of Salvadoran Transnationalism' , Ethnic and Racial Studies22(2): 290-315 .
23.
Levitt, Peggy (1998) `Social Remittances: Migration Driven Local-Level Forms of Cultural Diffusion' , International Migration Review32(4): 926-948 .
24.
Lopez, David, Popkin, Eric and Telles, Edward (1996) `Central Americans: At the Bottom, Struggling to Get Ahead', in Roger Waldinger and Mehdi Bozorgmehr (eds) Ethnic Los Angeles, pp. 279-304. New York: Russell Sage Foundation .
25.
Lowell, B. Lindsay and de la Garza, Rodolfo O. (2000) The Development Role of Remittances in US Latino Communities and in Latin American Countries, Final Project Report. Los Angeles: Inter-American Dialogue and Tomas Rivera Policy Institute .
26.
Lowenthal, Abraham F. (2000) `Latin America at the Century's Turn', David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS), newsletter.
27.
McDonnell, Patrick (2002) `A Latino Census Recount' , Los Angeles Times 9 May.
28.
Mahler, Sarah (1996) American Dreaming: Immigrant Life on the Margins. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press .
29.
Mahler, Sarah (1998) `Theoretical and Empirical Contributions Toward a Research Agenda for Transnationalism', in Michael P. Smith and Luis Eduardo Guarnizo (eds) Transnationalism From Below: Communities-Identities Unbound (Vol. 6, Comparative Urban and Community Research), pp. 64-100. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
30.
Montes Mozo, Segundo and Garcia Vasquez, Juan Jose (1988) Salvadoran Migration to the United States: An Exploratory Study, Hemispheric Migration Project. Washington, DC: CIPRA, Georgetown University .
31.
Multilateral Investment Fund (2001) `Remittances as a Development Tool' , A Regional Conference, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, DC, 17-18 May.
32.
Orozco, Manuel (2002) `Remittances to Latin America: Money, Markets, and Costs' , paper presented at `Remittances as Development Tool' Conference, Inter-American Development Bank, Washington DC, 26 February.
33.
Perez Sainz, Juan Pablo (2000) `Labour Market Transformations in Latin America During the 90's - Some Analytical Remarks' , paper prepared for the Social Science Research Council Conference, `Latin American Labor a Decade after Reforms', San Jose, Costa Rica, 10-11 July.
34.
Popkin, Eric (1996) `Guatemalan Hometown Associations in Los Angeles', Central Americans in California: Transnational Communities, Economies, and Cultures, Monograph Paper, No. 1, pp. 35-39. Los Angeles: Center for Multiethnic and Transnational Studies, University of Southern California .
35.
Popkin, Eric (1997) `Central American Transnational Migration: The Role of Los Angeles Based Salvadoran Hometown Associations in Community Development in El Salvador', in Mario Lungo (ed.) Migración internacional y desarrollo: el caso de El Salvador, pp. 191-234. San Salvador: Fundación Nacional para el Desarrollo .
36.
Popkin, Eric (1998) `In Search of the Quetzal: Guatemalan Mayan Transnational Migration and Ethnic Identity Formation', PhD dissertation, University of California-Los Angeles.
37.
Popkin, Eric (1999) `Guatemalan Mayan Migration to Los Angeles: Constructing Transnational Linkages in the Context of the Settlement Process' , Ethnic and Racial Studies22(2): 267-289 .
38.
Popkin, Eric and Andrade-Eekhoff, Katharine (2002) `The Construction of Household Labor Market Strategies in Central American Transnational Migrant Communities' , paper presented at the American Sociological Association Meetings, Chicago, 16 August.
39.
Popkin, Eric, Arguelles, Lourdes, Desipio, Louis and Pachon, Harry (1997) Diversifying the Los Angeles Area Latino Mosaic: Salvadoran and Guatemalan Leaders' Assessments of Community Public Policy Needs. Los Angeles: Tomas Rivera Policy Institute and National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund .
40.
Portes, Alejandro (1995) Transnational Communities: Their Emergence and Significance in the Contemporary World System, Working Papers Series, No. 16, Program in Comparative and International Development, Department of Sociology. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press .
41.
Portes, Alejandro (2000) `Immigration and the Metropolis: Reflections on Urban History' , Journal of International Migration and Integration1(2): 153-175 .
42.
Portes, Alejandro, Dore Cabral, Carlos and Landolt, Patricia, eds (1997) The Urban Caribbean: Transition to the New Global Economy. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press .
43.
Portes, Alejandro, Guarnizo, Luis and Landolt, Patricia (1999) `Introduction: Pitfalls and Promise of an Emergent Research Field' , Ethnic and Racial Studies22(2): 217-237 .
44.
Rouse, Roger (1987) `Migration and the Politics of Family Life: Divergent Projects and Rhetorical Strategies in a Mexican Transnational Migrant Community', Center for US-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego, unpublished.
45.
Rouse, Roger (1991) `Mexican Migration and the Social Space of Postmodernism' , Diaspora1(1): 8-23 .
46.
Sassen, Saskia (1991) The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press .
47.
Smith, Michael P. (1994) `Can You Imagine? Transnational Migration and the Globalization of Grass-Roots Politics' , Social Text39(Fall): 15-33 .
48.
Smith, Michael P. and Guarnizo, Luis Eduardo, eds (1998) Transnationalism From Below: Communities-Identities Unbound (Vol. 6, Comparative Urban and Community Research). New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction .
49.
Smith, Robert C. (1995) `Los Ausentes Siempre Presentes: The Imagining, Making, and Politics of a Transnational Community between New York and Ticuani, Puebla', PhD dissertation, Columbia University.
50.
Stanley, William Deane (1987) `Economic Migrants or Refugees from Violence? A Time Series Analysis of Salvadoran Migration to the United States' , Latin American Research Review22(1): 132-154 .
51.
Suro, Roberto (2002) Counting the `Other Hispanics': How Many Colombians, Dominicans, Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, and Salvadorans are There in the United States, 9 May. Los Angeles, CA: Pew Hispanic Center .
52.
Swedish, Margaret (2002a) `El Salvador: Bush Visit Amounts to Very Little' , Central America/Mexico Report22(2): 6-7 .
53.
Swedish, Margaret (2002b ) `Central America: Hunger Spreads Throughout Region' , Central America/Mexico Report22(2): 7-8 .
54.
Taylor, J. Edward (1997) `International Migrant Remittances, Savings, and Development in Migrant-Sending Areas' , paper presented at the Conference `International Migration at Century's End', Barcelona, 7-10 May.
55.
Taylor, J. Edward and Zabin, Carol (1996) `Migration and Development in a Conflict Zone: A Micro-Economic Perspective' , paper presented at Allied Social Science Association Annual Meetings (North American Finance Association), San Francisco, 5 January.
56.
Wilson, Tamar Diana (1994) `What Determines where Transnational Labor Migrants Go? Modification in Migration Theories' , Human Organization53(3): 269-278 .
57.
World Food Program (2002) Emergency Report, No. 12, 22 March.
