Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires"
Remittances, Their Usage And Their Impact On Rural Development: The Case Of South Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan, a country in Central Asia, used to be one of the fifteen member states of the former Soviet Union. With the dissolution of the great power, Kyrgyzstan declared its independence in august of 1991.
Since its independence Kyrgyzstan has been going through several economic, political and social problems. It is known as a country in transition: transition from communism to capitalism; from planned economy to market economy. The lives of its people have been affected both positively and negatively by the transitional period.
In this study I would like to focus on migration (international and national), which is one of the many economic problems in the country. Several research1 done on this topic in Kyrgyzstan show that increased unemployment, decrease in income, better wages in other CIS countries and a demand for foreign labour in economically stronger countries, like Russia, Kazakhstan and China, are the main incentives for the Kyrgyz to migrate.
The collapse of the Soviet Union left most of the Central Asian economies vulnerable to economic difficulties. Most importantly, it made them remittance-dependent economies. According to research by Inter American Dialogue, Kyrgyzstan, for example, is the 7th most remittance-dependent economy, with 28% of its GDP from remittances2.
Having researched in Kyrgyzstan on National and International Labour Migration, Irene Rohner concludes that “Since the socio-economic and political situation in Kyrgyzstan is unlikely to change in the near future, migration will remain a promising livelihood strategy, especially for people in rural areas”3.
It is clear to me that the people migrate in search for a better wage and better life conditions. In this study I concentrate my focus on the remittances labour migrants regularly send back home, their usage and their impact on rural development. My main research question and goal are to find out whether remittances indeed help to reduce poverty or if they promote the ‘class-stratification’ among the people (rich people, average people and poor people).
The duration of the research amounts for three months: from June to September 2008. Research methods, which will be used: interview with migration experts, migrants and their families; participant observation and photo documentation.
The end product of this field research (May, 2009) will be a Master Thesis work for the Institute of Social Anthropology, University of Bern.
Addresses:
The address of the researcher:
Eliza Isabaeva
Viktoriastrasse 32
3013 Bern
Switzerland
0041 78 629 59 92
eliza.isabaeva@students.unibe.ch
The address of the partner organization:
Dr. Emil Nasritdinov
Associate Professor, Faculty of Anthropology
Thematic Leader on Migration, Social Research Centre
American University of Central Asia
720040 Bishkek
Kyrgyzstan
996 312 663309
nasritdinov_e@mail.auca.kg
1 Irene Rohner. (2007). National and International Labour Migration: A Case Study in the Province of Batken, Kyrgyzstan. MSc thesis. University of Zurich (unpublished).
Bichsel C., Hostettler S., Strasser B. (2005). „Should I buy a cow or a TV?“: Reflections on the conceptual framework of the NCCR North-South based on a comparative study of international labour migration in Mexico, India and Kyrgyzstan. NCCR North-South dialogue, NCCR North-South, Berne.
Saodat Olimova. (2005). Impact of External Migration on Development of Mountainous Regions: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Pakistan. International Workshop. Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
2 Madeleine Reeves, Clean fake: Ambiguous documents, registration regimes and everyday “illegality” in migrant Moscow. Paper presented for discussion during the SSRC Workshop on New Eurasian Lives and Livelihoods: Economy, Regulation and Everyday Practice, pg. 4.
3 Irene Rohner, National and International Labour Migration: a Case Study in the Province of Batken, Kyrgyzstan. IP6 Working Paper No. 9, pg, 13.