A transnational migrant circuit: Remittances from Ireland to Brazil

Abstract

Labour migration is a key cog within an increasingly globalised world. A sustained period of economic growth in Ireland from the mid-1990s until the global downturn in 2008 created a high demand for labour which was previously unknown. At the 1996 census, Ireland had for the first time in its recent history became a country of large-scale immigration and rapidly became a destination of choice for many new labour migrants. This research focuses on remittances among Brazilian transnational labour migrants (both documented and undocumented) from a rural area in Ireland to their area of origin. The data comes from interviews and questionnaires undertaken in both Ireland and Brazil. The article outlines the different types of remittances, from monetary to goods in kind, and identifies the motives behind a migrant’s decision to remit. The findings presented relate to the varying purposes for which remittance are used, their impacts once received in the area of origin and whether specific remitting patterns are linked to altruistic or self-interested motives.