IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 56 The impact of migrants' remittances and investment on rural youth

In an increasingly globalized world community, rural international migration is often characterized by engagements or links that migrants establish with their home countries, home towns and relatives in their country of origin through transnational economic and social activities. This background paper analyses how migrants positively contribute to the sustainable economic development of rural youth in their countries of origin. Specifically, this paper details migrants’ contribution to youth rural development through transnational economic engagement, which positively impacts financial inclusion, creation of employment opportunities and the promotion of entrepreneurship. Transnational engagement activities include money transfers (family remittances), philanthropy, entrepreneurship, capital investment, homeland goods consumption and knowledge transfer. We find that youth are doubly disadvantaged relative to adults in rural areas and relative to their urban counterparts, making remittances and other forms of engagement particularly important in helping this especially vulnerable group. Transnational engagement that occurs in rural areas and targets issues such as education or nutrition can disproportionately benefit youth. Other transnational engagement, such as knowledge transfer or partnership, establishes youth as agents of their own development and economic well-being. Though the activities differ, underlying all forms of transnational engagement is a reinforcement of social and cultural identities and connection with countries of origin for both migrants and descendants of migrants.