Development on the move: Colombian remittances in focus

The impact of migration on development has long been acknowledged. However, comprehensive evidence on how migration effects development in different countries has, up until now, been lacking. A new research project called ‘Development on the Move’ aims to bring this issue into focus by gathering new qualitative and quantitative data from different countries around the world. This data is intended to inform policy and maximise the impact of migration on development.

Colombia has been identified as one of the focus countries for this research, and is an interesting case because it has only relatively recently become a major sender and recipient of international migrants. Migration and remittances are increasingly  important issues for policy makers here, with 8% of Colombians now living abroad (primarily in the US, Spain and Venezuela), and remittances generating 3% of the country’s GDP. Read more of this post