Remittances and Government Approval

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores the relationship between remittances and government accountability, focusing on the authorities’ approval function. It demonstrates that remittance recipients report higher levels of government approval than others. Drawing on evidence from the 2008–2009 recession in Central-Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, the chapter also shows that experiencing a decline in remittances makes recipients report lower levels of government support and blame the national government for the recession than other members of the population. In its concluding sections, this chapter also provides descriptive evidence of how changes in remittances impact national-level patterns of government approval. Increasing remittances are associated with increased government approval, and vice versa.