This is money that flows between individuals and families and largely circumvents governments and that's a hugely important point, because the real take home of the book is that when these financial flows are controlled by citizens, it tips the balance of power in favor of citizens. When the international financial flow goes to governments, it tips the balance of power in terms of governments.

Joseph Wright

A full transcript is available at www.democracyparadox.com or a short review of Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships here.

Joe Wright is a professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University. Abel Escribà-Folch is an associate professor of political science at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. They cowrote the book Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships along with Covadonga Meseguer.

Key Highlights

How Remittances Break Clientelistic Relationships
The Size and Importance of Remittances in Developing Economies
Why Financial Remittances Facilitate Protest Movements
Can Remittances Really Contribute to Democratization
Implications for Immigration Policies

Key Links

Migration and Democracy: How Remittances Undermine Dictatorships by Abel Escribà-Folch, Joseph Wright, and Covadonga Meseguer

Learn more about Joseph Wright

Learn more about Abel Escribà-Folch

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Bryn Rosenfeld on Middle Class Support for Dictators in Autocratic Regimes

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