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Welfare beyond Borders: Filipino Transnational Families’ Informal Social Protection Strategies

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  • Sanna Saksela-Bergholm

    (Swedish School for Social Science, University of Helsinki, Finland)

Abstract

Remittances and caregiving arrangements are among the most significant practices of informal social protection against social risks and exclusion among transnational families. This article argues that remittances can provide social protection in cases where formal welfare services do not reach the citizens properly. Furthermore, it illustrates how members of Filipino transnational families can create sustainable informal social protection and utilise it long-term. The transnational practices are analysed to show how migrant capital, particularly the intersection of economic and social capital (Bourdieu, 1986), is transferred to informal social protection through meaningful reciprocity between the senders and recipients of remittances. Successful allocation of remittances and negotiation of care arrangements depend on the realisation of reciprocity and its social context, such as life circumstances, moral obligations and migrants’ personal goals for migration. The data draw on observations and 41 qualitative interviews conducted both in Finland and in the Philippines.

Suggested Citation

  • Sanna Saksela-Bergholm, 2019. "Welfare beyond Borders: Filipino Transnational Families’ Informal Social Protection Strategies," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 221-231.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v:7:y:2019:i:4:p:221-231
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Karolina Barglowski & Lisa Bonfert, 2022. "The Affective Dimension of Social Protection: A Case Study of Migrant-Led Organizations and Associations in Germany," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Sanna Saksela-Bergholm & Mari Toivanen & Östen Wahlbeck, 2019. "Migrant Capital as a Resource for Migrant Communities," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 164-170.

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