Blogs


Family Remittances in 2024: Looking Ahead amid Possible Shifts in Flows

Manuel Orozco, Patrick Springer ˙ ˙ Migration, Remittances & Development

Photo of woman holding Guatemalan Quetzal banknotes Rochu_2008 / Adobe Stock / Enhanced license
This briefing offers a descriptive perspective regarding remittance transfer growth in 2024. We point out that, this year, flows will experience less than six percent growth. The memo highlights some insight on migration, historic growth, competition in the marketplace, and what growth can be expected for 2024.Read more +

Sending Money to Mexico: Slowed Growth in 2024

Manuel Orozco, Patrick Springer ˙ ˙ Migration, Remittances & Development

Photo of FINABIEN card Financiera para el Bienestar / Gobierno de México
This briefing offers an update on remittance growth in Mexico for 2024 by looking past trends as well as key issues. Additionally, the memo shows how government policy has sought to intervene at the point of sending or receiving in certain ways, and that the overall upward trend is sustained by migration and remittance frequency. Lastly, the memo signals a slowdown in principal sent that is partly associated with microeconomic inflationary trends.Read more +

Today’s Challenges for Salvadorans in the face of the Current President’s Legacy

Manuel Orozco ˙ ˙ Migration, Remittances & Development

Photo of San Salvador Julio / Adobe Stock / Extended license
Setting aside the debate surrounding the legitimacy and popularity of President Nayib Bukele, he has a number of challenges ahead of him in the social, political, and economic sphere. In large part, these challenges are his legacy as they result from the decisions implemented in his first presidential term. Paradoxically, when it comes to overcoming the country's main problems, President Bukele is his own worst enemy.Read more +

Democracy Under Siege in Central America

Luis A. Rivas ˙ ˙ Migration, Remittances & Development

Photo of protesters in Nicaragua during the 2018 protests Jorge Mejía Peralta / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 DEED
Democracy is under threat in Central America and authoritarianism is on the rise. This problem is having long-term institutional and economic implications for these countries and poses serious challenges for US policy towards the region. Uncheckered political ambitions and abuses of authority in the form of corruption or political and economic favoritism are signs of severe democratic backsliding. Nicaragua is an illustration of the consequences of unconstrained power. But the growing corruption and political ambitions of other Central American leaders could further affect democratic institutions in the region. It is important not only to bear witness but to mobilize proactive foreign policy to prevent authoritarianism from rising.Read more +

Migration from Andean Countries

Manuel Orozco, Patrick Springer ˙ ˙ Migration, Remittances & Development

Photo of man walking on road at Chimborazo Mountain, Ecuador jon_chica / Adobe Stock / Extended License
The Andean migrant population in the US is remitting 50% of all flows to their homelands in the Andes, over US$10 billion in 2022 from the US and US$11 billion in 2023. Within this context, the following briefing offers a characterization of migration from the Andean countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.Read more +

Unlocking Forests’ Potential in Latin America and the Caribbean  

Juanita Fonseca ˙ ˙ Voces

A cloud forest in Costa Rica Florent Mechain / Flickr / CC BY 2.0 DEED
Tropical forests, which cover 6 percent of Earth, are our planet’s largest natural carbon sink and our first line of defense against climate change. Even with massive human effort at reducing emissions, reaching the 1.5-degree target is not possible without forest restoration.    Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), whose forests…Read more +

Q&A with David Goldwyn: Will Maduro’s Electioneering Decrease Appetite for Guyanese Oil?

David Goldwyn ˙ ˙ Voces

Photo of Nicolas Maduro Federico Parra / Flickr / CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED
On December 3, President Nicolás Maduro held a referendum asking citizens whether the Essequibo region should be “reclaimed” as part of Venezuelan territory. Whether prompted by the 2015 discovery of abundant oil reserves, or the need to gain popularity before the 2024 presidential elections, Maduro ordered Petróleos de Venezuela, SA…Read more +

Load More