Money walks, not talks: The role of remittances as a bridge between migration and development

Sammanfattning: This master thesis is a case study on the remittance corridor between South Africa and Zimbabwe. The purpose of the study was to explore and evaluate the dilemmas the remittances senders face in the migration process and how they are dealt with. This was further investigated in the connection to what possibilities the remittances sender have in the host country to increase both the own, as well as the family’s, level of development. Research about the remittance process from the remittances sender’s perspective suffers from shortcomings, a problem this study addresses. A collection of life stories helped to identify the dilemmas and trade-offs the remittances sender faces. The results show that dilemmas exist in every phase of the migration process. How well the remittances senders cope with these dilemmas, seems to be connected to their socio-economic background to a large extent. The pressure to remit affects the available possibilities in the host country to improve the remittances sender’s level of development. An exciting finding and contribution of this study is the remittances senders’ perspective on their future, whether to stay or return home. This complex dilemma, that lacks research, is so interesting that it calls for more investigation.