Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-1-2006
Abstract
Immigrant's remittances represent a substantial flow of capital from developed economies to their countries. Unfortunately, the efforts have negative consequences because the recipients take advantage of the asymmetric information dilemmas and divert the resources for personal use against the immigrants' desires (Chami, Fullenkamp, & Jahjah, 1989). Nigerian immigrants in the United States have been engaged in various social, ethnic, professional networks to maintain their cultural heritage and identity. Over the years, they have transformed their efforts into generating and transfer economic capital for the development of their home communities. In a qualitative research study, by the author (Ogundele, 2005), several leaders of these organizations claimed to support home development objectives. The purpose of this research is to substantiate and quantify the underlining factors upon which the immigrants' networks are built to support the transnational objectives of developing people and communities at home. The study revealed that patriotism, familism and human capital among immigrants enhance the home communities' development efforts. These factors are transformed to tangible benefits for people at home through the collective volunteerism actions of the immigrants in Diasporas. The negative consequences of remittance by individual immigrants are getting mitigated due to the norm of reciprocity and generalized trusts that developed within immigrants' networks. The study unravels the puzzle of why immigrants tend to trust someone they recently met in their networks in the United States over their family members and old acquaintances from Nigeria. Our expectation is that the findings on these factors will help immigrants' organizations and their leaders to be more effective and successful in their transnational efforts to improve the well-being of the communities and people left behind.
Keywords
emigrant remittances--Nigeria, immigrants -- Africa
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Ogundule, James B., "Immigrants Transnational Activities for Home Community Development: The Nigerian Immigrants in the United States of America" (2006). Student Scholarship. 248.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/248