Mass Protests and Remittances in Receiving Countries

Over the past two decades, the cross-border flow of remittances has dramatically risen around the globe. Voluminous research demonstrates positive effects of remittances on economic development in migrant-producing communities. Much less empirical work has evaluated political consequences of remittances. In particular, scant attention has been devoted to the relationship between access to remittances and non-electoral political participation in the developing world. This study examines the impact of remittances on mass protests in receiving countries from 1992 to 2012. The paper hypothesizes that the flow of remittances increases the odds of protests by empowering citizens with resources. An alternative hypothesis is that access to remittances diminishes the likelihood of protests by providing a cushion against economic insecurity. The study estimates a dynamic panel model of protests and remittances using the System GMM estimator. This study contributes to political science literature by analyzing a linkage between international migration and protest events.