Transnationalism: What It Means to Local Communities

"Much has been written about transnational immigrants—people who move to a new country but keep strong economic, social, and political connections with their countries of origin. Not enough has been understood, however, about transnationals’ contribution to their local communities.

"Some migration scholars have explained how easier and cheaper air travel, better telephone access, personal computers, and other communication innovations have enabled sustained interpersonal contacts between immigrants and the people in their homelands, increasing transnationalism. Others have focused their studies on the importance of remittance flows—$300 billion sent to home countries annually. Sociologists, for their part, have explored social remittances, or the ways that ideas, customs, social norms, and consumption patterns learned in the new environment are transmitted to the folks back home. Political scientists, in turn, have focused on the influence of transnational immigrants when elections are held in their cities and villages of origin.

"But what is the economic, social, and political impact of these immigrants on their host communities and how does it differ from that of “traditional” immigrants?"

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