Migrants' Private Giving and Development: Diasporic Influences on Development in Central Gujarat, India

The paper addresses the migration-development debate by developing a framework for understanding who are the migrants, what they are sending back, and how these transfers are being utilised in the local economy. It argues that the social backgrounds and migration histories of migrants – in terms of their destination of migration, duration of stay, and occupation, – influence the nature of their private giving, which in turn can be mapped to development in the region. Taking the central region of Gujarat, India as a reference case, it traces the pattern of private giving by migrants from the region and their contribution to regional development. The data show that although household remittances are an important source of development finance in this region, diaspora philanthropy has contributed significantly to development. [ProGlo Working Paper No. 6].