Who derives economic benefits from migration?

A challenge proposed by APOFAM, a Mexican NGO 

By Sari Dennise 
comunicación@familiasmigrantes.org

Main users: migrants and researchers.

Identified need: to research and understand the flows of money associated with migration.

Justification: individuals leave their communities hoping to find a decent standard of living in another country, usually where they will find higher income and, sometimes, less violence.  Governments and companies should recognize the migrants' contributions, and migrants and their families should be able to find ways to use their money to defend their rights or promote public policies.
Possible tool: an application useful for financial education and expenses analysis, where the migrant population and their families are able to answer, in a simple manner, to consumption tests, tax payments, sending and using remittances, family incomes, etc., where they receive, in turn, information about how their money impacts society, business and countries that receive it; information on their consumers' rights and fair trade options.

Use: such an application may be used on a local or regional level to strengthen organizing efforts and the socially responsible consumption within migrant communities, and also to foster the dialogue between these communities and the private sector. At the same time, an application of this type would help to research the economic, cultural and social relationships evolving between the communities of origin - in Mexico - and the communities of destination - in the US - linked to migration.