Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy - Tufts University

“People talk about trade, they discuss investment,but the third factor of production is often missingfrom discussion, and that’s labor.’’Professor katrina burgessI’m currently studying remittances, which are the monies that migrants working abroadsend to their families back home. My primary focus is on collective remittances—fundsraised by groups of migrants to support development projects in their communitiessuch as painting a school, building a road or a clinic, or providing student scholarships.My research asks the question: Does this engagement by transnational actors have anyeffect on local governance? I look at the“when and why” of this dynamic. Are there thingsthat could be done to facilitate a positive effect?This is bottom-up international relations and, in many ways, it is reshaping howthe international system operates. You have people living in a different country gettingtogether, getting organized, and engaging in transnational activity. And in the case ofmy research, these are not the elites. While they may become elite, most are, essentially,the lowest tier of workers, who are acting transnationally. We’re talking aboutbillions and billions of dollars that are flowing from the North to the South. It’s a majorphenomenon, and as a development issue, it’s not yet clear what influence this is havingon the reduction of poverty.So there is a gap in the discussion, and most specifically within my area of politicaleconomy. People talk about trade, they discuss investment, but the third factor of productionis often missing from discussion, and that’s labor. These issues are enormouslyimportant because they are having an impact on the global economy, and on individualcountries, communities, and households.Associate Professor of Political Economy Katrina Burgess earned her PhD from Princeton University and holds degrees from SwarthmoreCollege and the University of Southern California. She is the author of Parties and Unions in the New Global Economy and an upcoming book oncollective remittances in Mexico.(17)