The Political Economy of Remittance-Led Development in Guanajuato, Mexico
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University of New Mexico UNM Digital Repository Sociology ETDs Electronic Theses and Dissertations 7-11-2013 The olitP ical Economy of Remittance-led Development in Guanajuato, Mexico Benjamin Waddell Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/soc_etds Recommended Citation Waddell, Benjamin. "The oP litical Economy of Remittance-led Development in Guanajuato, Mexico." (2013). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/soc_etds/48 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Electronic Theses and Dissertations at UNM Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology ETDs by an authorized administrator of UNM Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Political Economy of Remittance-led Development in Guanajuato, Mexico By Benjamin James Waddell B.A., International Affairs, University of Colorado, 2005 M.A., Latin American Studies, University of New Mexico, 2009 DISSERTATION Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Sociology The University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico May, 2013 Dedication This project is written in the memory of all the men and women who have left (and will leave) their homelands with the hope of making a better life for themselves and their families. In general, it is my hope that this project sheds a little more light on the legacy that migrants have left in this world. Still, although this project reflects the dreams of many men, it is motived by the memory of one man, Pedro Ortiz. Pedro and I occasionally worked together on construction sites near Telluride, Colorado between 2001 and 2005. At the time I was an undergraduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder but every summer I returned to my hometown to earn money for the school year. Pedro and I only worked together on several occasions, and while we were unable to communicate well, I recall finding myself strongly moved by what I was able to make out of his personal story. At the time, all Pedro and I were able to exchange were the basics. Through gestures and broken English, Pedro explained to me that he left his native Mexico for the first time in the 1980s to work in the southwestern U.S. When I asked him where he was from he responded “León, Guanajuato”. I recall partially capturing the first word he pronounced and completely ignoring the second word due to the fact that I was unable to pronounce more than the first syllable! My face must have revealed my confusion because he promptly responded with “You know, like a lion,” which he followed up with a trained gesture in which he brought his hands above his head and let out a loud “RAAAAAA”. With such primitive communication, we would often go hours without uttering a word but through occasional hand motions and laborious conversations, we each got to know a little about one another. iii For more than fifteen years Pedro would leave his hometown in Mexico and head north for six months, during which time he worked on construction sites for a local company in and around Telluride. Finally, in the early 2000s, he was able to solicit permanent residency in the U.S., at which point he petitioned to bring his wife and children to live with him. By this time, Pedro and I had lost contact. However, in the fall of 2006, while home on a break from graduate school, I tracked down Pedro’s number and gave him a call. By this time I spoke rather fluid Spanish and so I was quite excited to talk with the man I had worked side by side with for so many hours without exchanging much more than an occasional phrase or pantomime. Pedro’s wife answered the phone and after we briefly introduced ourselves, she passed me on to her husband. Pedro and I spoke for roughly half an hour, in which time he told me a bit more about himself. As it turned out, Pedro was from a town called Valle de Santiago, which is located in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Coincidently, my girlfriend at the time, who is now my wife, is also from Guanajuato. As a result, we unexpectedly had a great deal to talk about. We discussed different places we had visited in Guanajuato and before we hung up, Pedro invited me to visit him and his family the next time they were back home. Like many immigrants, Pedro had built a house in his hometown, which he went back to visit once or twice a year. Unfortunately, Pedro and I we were never able to meet up in his native Mexico. A week after we talked on the phone, Pedro passed away suddenly from a brain aneurysm. To be sure, there are many men and women like Pedro that have fought for their dreams only to fall tragically short of seeing them reach fruition. A great deal more, however, continue to fight for their dreams day in and day out. The goal of this project is to shed light on the legacy of these men and women. iv Acknowledgements It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. The same can certainly be said of a dissertation. With that in mind, a number of acknowledgements are in order. First and foremost, I would like to thank my grandmother, “Dommie” Waddell, for inspiring me to pursue a college education. In many ways this project is a reflection of her support throughout the years. A special thanks also goes out to my parents, Wynne Waddell and Michele Erschen, for teaching me to fight for my goals and learn from my shortcomings. I would also like to thank my wife, Beatriz Garcia Waddell, for her steadfast love and guidance. Over the years I have been fortunate to have the support of many other individuals, and while space does not permit me to introduce each of them individually, they deserve acknowledgment: Dee McKeever (Norwood Public Schools), Michael Hughes (Telluride High School), Joshua M. Hoekstra (Bluegrass Community and Technical College), Alicia Tabler (CU Boulder), F. Chris Garcia (UNM), Alejandra Balestra (UNM), Enrique de la Madrid (UNM), Phillip B. Gonzales (UNM), Nancy López (UNM), Robert A. Ibarra (UNM), Susan Tiano (UNM). All of these individuals have played a fundamental role in my academic development. Above all else, I extend my gratitude to each of my respective committee members, including: Dr. Richard Wood, Dr. Matías Fontenla, Dr. Robert Fiala and Dr. Manuel García y Griego. Over the last several years their feedback has contributed a great deal to the evolution of this project as well as my personal development as an academic. I am forever indebted to each of these individuals for being exceptional professors and even better mentors. I would also like to thank all of the respective institutions that have funded me over the years, including: the U.S. Department of State (Gilman Scholarship), the Spanish and Portuguese v Department (UNM), the Latin American and Iberian Institute (UNM), the Sociology Department at UNM, the Southwest Colonial Research Center UNM) and the Sociology Department at Adams State University (ASU). Regarding the latter, I thank all of my colleagues, and my Chair, Dr. Michael Marin in particular, for their unwavering support over the last two years. Lastly, I’m extremely grateful to the Fulbright Program for funding my field research in Mexico in 2011. I hope that my research lives up to the high expectations of the Garcia-Robles commission. Finally, a special thanks goes out to Dr. Richard Wood, the chair of my dissertation. I first met Rich, as I have come to know him, in the fall of 2008 when I was a graduate student in his qualitative research methods course. At the time I was a frustrated student seriously contemplating whether or not to continue my pursuit of a Ph.D. However, Rich’s course rekindled my desire to become a professor. Since then his steadfast guidance and constructive criticism has helped me develop as a researcher and a person. Today I find myself a better human being—and citizen—for having met Rich Wood. This, in my opinion, is the mark of a truly exceptional professor and it is an attribute that I hope to replicate in my own professional life as an instructor. Benjamin James Waddell vi A Camila, por haber reafirmado mi deseo de dejar este mundo un mejor lugar. To Camila, for reaffirming my desire to leave this world a better place. vii The Political Economy of Remittance-led Development in Guanajuato, Mexico By Benjamin James Waddell B.A., International Affairs, University of Colorado, 2005 M.A., Latin American Studies, University of New Mexico, 2009 Ph.D., Sociology, University of New Mexico, 2013 ABSTRACT In the present study I analyze the relationship between migrant remittances, development and political transformation across 46 municipios located in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. Using Guanajuato as a case study, my research addresses fundamental questions regarding the impact of remittances in Mexico: How, if at all, do migrants influence economic development and political change across the state? How does the impact of direct remittances to individual families compare to the impact of remittances channeled through collective structures? The crux of this study lies at the intersection of these inquires, and although my analysis is limited in scope, the results outlined in Chapter 3, 4, 5 and 6 point to one overarching theme: Remittances alone do not drive long-term development. Rather, in the long run meaningful remittance-led economic development and democratic change—measured by gains in health care, education, economic growth, and civic participation and transparency—require a deep and authentic partnership between economic actors, members of civic society and local government.