Understanding migrant's contribution to development. A case study from Somaliland

The migration and development theory, that recognizes and empowers migrants as key development actors, assumes a critical role in the current debate on migration management. Caught between rejection impulses and humanitarian imperatives, the world can hardly build a positive narrative on migrations despite evidences that migrations tend to stimulate local development rather than the opposite. In literature, the contribution of migrants to local development processes remains under-researched and empirical studies in support of the Migration and Development theory are scant. Instead, it would be useful to understand how and under what conditions migrants can activate positive development processes in their origin countries. In fact, a deeper understanding of the characteristics of migrants’ activism for development would inform policy makers on how to encourage and support the Migration and Development paradigm. For instance, how do migrants’ development projects work? In what do they differ from development projects promoted by traditional aid actors? Is there a specific modality of aid that migrants adopt to generate development? This paper discusses migrants’ own modalities to promote development through a case-study in Somaliland and advocates for more empirical research on migrants’ projects in their origin countries with the view to provide evidence for policy formulation in the migration and development sector. In describing migrants’ contribution to development, this work identifies specific elements that characterise migrants’ activism based on sentiments, a marked organizational capacity and the tendency to build transnational networks to support their actions.