The Political Impact of Migrants in Colombia and Ecuador

Chapter 7 presents fieldwork carried out in Colombia and Ecuador in the summer of 2012. It mostly presents data derived from the interviews conducted with mayors and local authorities in the highlands of Colombia and Ecuador. The chapter also gives some specific examples of how migrant influence improved the lot of their communities, particularly with basic government services. It also presents some observations from migrant organizations in Ecuador. Overall, the data strongly supports that migrants channel new ideas to their communities of origin, and that the locals are noticing.

Conclusion

The conclusion summarizes the findings of the book. It uses a comparative approach to underline more explicitly how each case has contributed to our understanding. It then moves on to consider what the findings might tell us about other regions of the world. It specifically considers Central America, parts of South America, south Asia, and Africa.

The Theoretical and Methodological Framework

Chapter 2 lays out a theory of migrant influence. It does so by borrowing heavily on the theories of social remittances and economic remittances as well as social networks. It shows how and why migrants are more or less likely to shape a country’s politics. It develops the ideas of how contexts and social networks work together and how these elements can limit or expand the influence of migrants.

Introduction

This introduction begins by noting that migrants are effecting political change in their country of origin and then sets the book’s agenda, which aims to document the circumstances under which a change is most likely to occur. This chapter also provides statistics of the phenomenon and particularly compelling cases of individuals. The chapter provides a map for the reader of how the book will proceed and explains the author’s case selection and how he came to choose Mexico, Colombia, and Ecuador for the case studies. It also sets out the relationship of the current work to the scholarly literature and underlines the ways in which this book is different.

The Political Impact of Migrants in Ecuador

Chapter 6 uses the theory developed in chapter 2 to test the Ecuadorian case. It begins by detailing Ecuadorian migration and how it contrasts with Mexican and Colombian migration, particularly the reasons behind it and the preferred destinations. The chapter find that communities with a larger number of migrants were both more likely to have increased electoral competitiveness at the local level and crucial in the first election of Rafael Correa, but they were also were less likely to vote in favor of a government body aimed at censorship of the media.

The Political Impact of Migrants in Mexico

Chapter 3 uses the theory laid out in the chapter 2 to test the Mexican case. It begins by noting the particular nature of Mexican migration, its destination, and its recent history. Using quantitative methods, the chapter find that communities in Mexico that have more migrants were more likely to have higher levels of political participation and higher levels of electoral competitiveness and were more likely to vote for the person that became president in 2006 and 2012 among other results.

The Political Impact of Migrants in Colombia

Chapter 5 uses the theory laid in chapter 2 to test the Colombian case. It begins by documenting the particular nature of Colombian migration, specifically how it differs from both Mexican and Ecuadorian migration. The chapter find that communities with higher levels of migrants are more likely to have increased electoral competitiveness, more political participation at the local level, and vote for a more varied number of parties at the national level. It also shows that these localities played a key role in the election of Juan Manuel Santos and the success of the 2016 peace referendum.

The Political Impact of Migrants in Mexico

Chapter 4 presents the field work carried out in Mexico in the summer of 2007 in the states of Zacatecas, Puebla, and Jalisco. It first describes how the author outlined those particular sites in the different parts of the country. It then presents some data from the interviews conducted with mayors and other local officials. This chapter shows the multiple ways in which authorities believe that migrants are causing change in the way that their communities behave, whether politically or in other socially relevant ways.