The Role of Remittances in Contributing to Native Countries Development

Background: Migrants have an essential role in contributing to both the growth of native countries’ economies through their remittances and the local European savings; in fact, migrant remittances have been accompanying the migratory phenomenon and are significantly larger than official development assistance. The critical contribution that migrants can make to sustainable growth and employment is significant; it has been increasing over the last decade and continues to grow. Objective: The paper aims to analyse in detail the impact on remittances of non-European migrants, focusing on the effect on the tissue of native countries in terms of economic growth and social development. Results: Numerous researches underline that there is a direct correlation between financial exclusion and poverty. In fact, without access to financial services, savings cannot accrue interest in deposit accounts, they cannot be reinvested in the local economy, and finally, citizens cannot build a credit history, necessary to get creditworthiness. Among the most reliable benefits generated by remittances, there is just the possibility to save and invest money, increasing the average living standard of poor families, reducing the demand on public social programmes, and finally contributing to the increase the national income and the human capital, curbing the further emigration of poor sections of the population and reducing tensions linked to high unemployment in native countries. Conclusion: Despite the increasingly widespread feelings of hate and rejection against migrants currently diffused in Europe, economic migrants represent an added value both for the host countries and for native countries. The importance and the role that remittances can have in favouring the socio-economic development of the native nations represent only one of the positive aspects, without considering the concern for the European economies of the value, also in terms of jobs generated in the host countries, by the many enterprises set up by migrants.