FEATURED

REMITTANCES AND ECONOMIC REFORMS IN CUBA

While the amount of remittances to Cuba appears to have declined moderately, they still represent at least one half of the total income of Cuban households. The Dialogue hosted a luncheon discussion on Monday, May 2 to present the results of a recent survey, conducted in January 2011, on Cuban remittance recipients and their interests in running micro and small enterprises. The session was moderated by Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, with comments from Manuel Orozco, senior associate at the Dialogue and Katrin Hansing, associate professor of Black and Hispanic Studies at Baruch College. MORE

ABOUT

The Remittances and Development program seeks to leverage migrants and remittances for development. The program focuses on policies governing the flow of remittances, private sector financial and remittance services, and financial access for migrants and remittance recipient families. Through research, policy analysis, technical assistance, product development and project implementation, the program has raised awareness and forged partnerships among public and private institutions in over 80 countries around the world. This year the Remittances and Development Program continued to expand its focus to include migration and development, with research on the impact of informality in Latin American economies, financial education and financial inclusion of remittance senders and recipients, the economic participation of Hometown Associations in countries of origin, diaspora engagement and other transnational activities in which migrants engage.

STAFF

Manuel Orozco, Senior Associate
Patricia Ortigoza, Program Assistant
Daniela Arguelles, Intern

For more information, contact Patricia Ortigoza at portigoza@thedialogue.org or (202) 463-2935.

PUBLICATIONS

• Assessment and lessons learned from African Diaspora Market Place by Manuel Orozco and Mariellen Jewers, November 2011.
• Estado del Arte en Banca Móvil by Manuel Orozco, June 2011
• Estado del Arte de la Corresponsalía No Bancaria by Manuel Orozco, June 2011
• Partnerships at work: Western Union’s 4+1 experience in Mexico by Manuel Orozco and Katherine Scaife, May 2011.
• A Country Profile on the Gambia: The Marketplace & Financial Access - Prepared for Women’s World Banking by Manuel Orozco, Anjali Banthia and Mariama Ashcroft, October 2011.
• Remittance Recipients and the Present and Future of Micro-Entrepreneurship Activities in Cuba by Manuel Orozco, May 2, 2011.
• Central America, Migration Flows and Remittances by Manuel Orozco, March 2011.
• Competition in Africa’s Remittance Market: Weak Markets and High Costs by Manuel Orozco, November 2010
• The Impact of Regulations Governing Money Transfers to Africa on Competition and Development by Manuel Orozco, November 2010
• Opportunities to Increase Financial Access  through Remittances to Africa by Manuel Orozco, November 2010
• A Scorecard in the Market for Money Transfers: Trends in Competition in Latin America and the Caribbean, by Manuel Orozco, Elisabeth Burgess and Landen Romei, June 18, 2010.
• Toward Financial Independence: Financial literacy for Remittance Senders and Recipients, by Nancy Castillo, Landen Romei and Manuel Orozco, June 14, 2010. 
• Remittances and Development: Financial Literacy in an International Perspective, by Manuel Orozco, Elisabeth Burgess, Nancy Casillo and Landen Romei, May 6, 2010.
• Skilled Diasporas: An Imagined or Real Community?, by Manuel Orozco and Mariellen Jewers,  April 30, 2010.  
• Migration, Remittances and Assets in Bangladesh: Considerations About Their Ontersection and Development Policy Recommendations, by Manuel Orozco, March 20, 2010.

MORE PROGRAM PUBLICATIONS

ARTICLES & OP-EDS

• Deportaciones como política migratoria, by Manuel Orozco, Confidencial Digital, January 6, 2012
• México, Centroamérica y la política de inmigración en los Estados Unidos, by Manuel Orozco, Confidencial Digital, December 12, 2011
• Tendencias migratorias: caso centroamericano, by Manuel Orozco, Confidencial Digital, November 29, 2011
• Fighting for the Right Community Participation in Latin American Post-Transitional Democracies by Manuel Orozco and Beatriz Slooten, September 2011.
• A Commitment Amidst Shared Hardship: Haitian Transnational Migrants and Remittances, by Manuel Orozco and Elisabeth Burgess, Journal of Black Studies, March 2011.
• Educación financiera y desarrollo: un modelo para Nicaragua, by Manuel Orozco, El Confidencial, January 11, 2011.
• Remittance Transfers in Senegal: Preliminary Findings, Lessons, and Recommendations on its Marketplace and Financial Access Opportunities, Manuel Orozco, Elisabeth Burgess, and Corinne Massardier, International Labour Office, December 1, 2010.
• Continuity and Change: Latinos and U.S. Midterm Elections, by Manuel Orozco and Katherine Scaife, FOCAL Point, November 2010.  
• Vulnerabilidad y remesas en el sector rural Mexicano, by Manuel Orozco. Asociación Mexicana de Uniones de Crédito del Sector Social A.C., January 15, 2010. 
• Las repercusiones del terremoto sobre las remesas, by Manuel Orozco, América Economía, January 18, 2010.
• The least among us, by Manuel Orozco, Foreign Policy, September 15, 2009.
• Understanding the Continuing Effect of the Economic Crisis on Remittances to Latin America and the Caribbean, by Manuel Orozco, Multilateral Investment Fund of the Inter-American Development Bank, August 10, 2009.

MORE PROGRAM ARTICLES & OPEDS

• ¿Qué hay detrás del giro de EEUU hacia Ortega?, Manuel Orozco, Confidencial Digital, February 1, 2012
• Remittances to Latin America on the rise, Manuel Orozco, Marketplace Morning Review, January 12, 2012
• Economist: Still more room to export “nostalgic” products to U.S., Manuel Orozco, Dominican Today, January 12, 2012
• Cash flowing to native lands, Manuel Orozco in Boston Globe, September 20, 2010.
• Haitian Recovery: What's Next?, Interview with Manuel Orozco, WAMU 88.5 FM, February 15, 2010.
• Homeland’s crisis strains Haitian families in region, Manuel Orozco in Boston Globe, February 8, 2010.
• Envío de remesas crecerá en 2010, que será un año difícil para Latinoamérica, Manuel Orozco in EFE, December 9, 2010.
• Money Sent Home by Latin American Expatriates to Drop, Manuel Orozco in Wall Street Journal, August 12, 2009.

• Discussion of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, with Dialogue senior associate Manuel Orozco, Federal Reserve Boards Representatives Representatives Vivian Wang and Samantha Pelosi, and executives of major money transfer companies, like Viamericas, Wells Fargo, Microfinance International Cooperation, Jamaica National Overseas, among others, July 8, 2011.
• Linking the Economic Reforms and Micro-Entrepreneurship Among Remittances Recipients in Cuba, with dialogue senior associate Manuel Orozco and associate professor of Black and Hispanic Studies at Baruch College (CUNY) Katrin Hansing, May 2, 2011.
• Migration, Remittances, and Technology: Is there a match?, with Dialogue senior associate Manuel Orozco; Eugenio Nigro, vice president of business development in Latin America for Xoom.com, Melissa Koide, policy director for the Center for Financial Services Innovation, and Paloma Monroy of the World Bank, October 29, 2010.  
• Remittances Scorecard for Latin America and the Caribbean, with Dialogue senior associate Manuel Orozco, Paul Dwyer, CEO of Viamericas, Paloma Monroy of the World Bank, Andrea Fernández of More Money Transfers and Sergio Ruiz, chief executive of the Uruguay-based More Money Transfers, June 18, 2010. 

MORE PROGRAM EVENTS

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

• "Remittances: Regulation and Disclosure in a New Economic Environment," by Manuel Orozco, Testimony before the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee Subcommittee on Financial Institutions, June 3, 2009.
• "Crossing Borders, Keeping Connected: Women, Migration, and Development in the OSCE Region," by Manuel Orozco, Testimony before the U.S. Congress and U.S. Helsinki Commission, April 24, 2008.

MORE PROGRAM CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONIES