GLOBAL

DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

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Volume Five Winter 2008-Spring 2009 Numbers 3-4.

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THEME: GLOBAL LABOR MIGRATION AND EMERGING TRENDS IN DEVELOPMENT FINANCING:

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPCT OF MIGRANT (WORKER) REMITTANCES

IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

DEVELOPMENT IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL REMITTANCES: SOME EVIDENCE FROM ORIGIN

HOUSEHOLDS IN ZIMBABWE

Daniel S. Tevera Abel Chikanda

Department of Geography, Department of Geography

Environmental Science and Planning University of Western Ontario

University of Swaziland Canada

Kwaluseni, Swaziland

E-mail: tevera@uniswacc.uniswa.sz

Published Online: March 15, 2017

ABSTRACT

Theoretical perspectives show that the developmental and transformative impacts of remittances at the household and community levels are hotly contested. This article explores the tension between loss of human capital due to international migration and economic benefits brought by remittances. It draws on empirical evidence from a questionnaire survey of 705 origin households from 12 districts in Zimbabwe that was conducted in 2004/2005 to discuss the broader relationship between remittances and household expenditure patterns. The article seeks to contribute to the remittances debate by examining three questions. First, which transfer channels are used to send international remittances to origin households in Zimbabwe and why? Second, what is the role of international remittances on household expenditure patterns in Zimbabwe? Finally, do remittances help to explain how Zimbabwean households have managed to cope with the shocks created by an economy that has been shrinking at 4 percent/annum and towards the end of 2008 was experiencing a nine-digit hyperinflation rate?