Small is beautiful: the politics of transnational relationships between migrant hometown associations and communities back home

Valentina Mazzucato, University of Amsterdam
Mirjam Kabki, University of Amsterdam

This paper investigates why some migrant-financed development projects are more successful than others. It conceptualizes migrant-financed development as embedded in the micro-politics of village relationships with their migrants overseas. The paper analyses a matched sample of 5 villages and towns in Ghana and their respective migrant organizations in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Smaller villages are found to have more effective sanctioning systems vis-à-vis their migrants, higher levels of trust between local leaders and migrants, and hometown associations with more commitment from their members than larger towns, leading to higher chances of successful migrant involvement in community development.