Martin Piotrowski
Migrant Remittances and Skipped Generation Households: Investigating the Exchange Motive Using Evidence from Nang Rong, Thailand

Using data from the Nang Rong projects social survey (N=6,801 households) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, I examine the relationship between migrant remittances and the skipped generation household structure. I find that the skipped generation household is a significant determinant of in-kind remittances and the amount of remittances received by the household. Surprisingly, although qualitative data suggest that grandparents living in skipped generation households provide childcare for the children of absent migrants, quantitative evidence reveals that these households receive lower remittance amounts than other households. This suggests that although an exchange motivation may be overlooked in the remittance literature, it does not apply to migrant remittances as it does in the broader literature on inter vivos intergenerational transfers.

Mallik Kaur Sarkaria
Powerful Pawns of the Kashmir Conflict: Kashmiri Pandit Migrants
Tens of thousands Kashmiri Pandits (the Hindus of Kashmir) left the Kashmir Valley during the Kashmiri Independence movement of 1989-1990. This migration has been fervently debated by all sides ever since. The voices of Pandit advocacy organizations have gained prominence and often serve to create a narrative that forwards the Indian government’s interests: painting the conflict in Kashmir as one of Muslim desire for communal hegemony versus the Indian state’s secularism and democracy. This paper focuses specifically on the claims for reparations for Pandit-owned properties that remain in the Valley. The international community has increasingly recognized and respected the right to reparations for property lost during times of conflict. This paper argues for a nuanced understanding of the political and social situation within which property claims of the Pandits arise and may be resolved. Given the particular context of the Pandit displacement, the paper calls for a property reparations plan that is in fact conditioned on return migration. Such a plan is both likely to result in a meaningful solution to the problem of displaced Pandits and to compel the Indian government to work towards improving the living conditions of all communities in Kashmir.

Louis-Jacques Dorais
The Vietnamese in Montreal, Canada: Reflections on Intangible Capital and Immigration
This article examines how a relatively high level of intangible capital has enabled the relatively rapid integration of Montreal Vietnamese, thus making of them “model” minorities, without forsaking their culture and identity. Three major dimensions of the Vietnamese experience in Montreal are examined: ethnic community life, economic and social integration into mainstream society, and transnational ties. It is shown that these dimensions complement each other, and that each of them contributes in fostering one of the three forms of social capital – bonding, bridging and linking – as defined by Robert Putnam (2000). The article concludes on some theoretical implications concerning the role and limits of human and social capital drawn from the Vietnamese example.

Siew-Ean Khoo, Peter McDonald and Graeme Hugo
Skilled Temporary Migration from Asia-Pacific Countries to Australia
The Asia-Pacific region is a significant source of skilled temporary migration to Australia. The paper provides an overview of recent trends in skilled temporary migration from Asia-Pacific countries to Australia and compares the Asia-Pacific migrants with migrants from other regions to investigate whether the Asia-Pacific migrants are selective of particular demographic and human capital characteristics. Differences are observed between the two groups in some of these characteristics. There are also differences in their reasons for migration, employment situation and return migration/permanent residence intentions. Future trends and implications based on recent policy changes and likely developments in the region are discussed.

Kathleen Ford, Aree Jampaklay and Aphichat Chamratrithirong
The Impact of Circular Migration and Remittances on Relative Household Wealth in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand
The objective of this study was to examine the impact of circular migration and remittances on relative household wealth using data from a longitudinal study conducted in the economically heterogenous Kanchanaburi province of Thailand. We estimated models of the effects of number of return migrants and remittances on four types of household assets in 2004, controlling for assets in 2000, household and village characteristics. Propensity weights were used to adjust for selection into migration and remittance categories. In general, the migration and remittance variables did not have strong effects on household assets in 2004. The strongest predictors of household assets in 2004 were household assets in 2000. Household characteristics such as education of members and members in non-agricultural activities also contributed to household assets. Village characteristics made only minor contributions.  

Amirhossein Alibaygi and Esmail Karamidehkordi
Iranian Rural Youths' Intention to Migrate to Urban Areas
This study probed into the migration intentions of rural youths in West Iran and sought to identify the variables influencing these intentions. The study found that about one-third of the youths had a high to very high intention of migrating to urban areas. The stepwise multiple regression revealed four factors to be statistically significant determinants of migration intentions, namely, attitudes to agriculture, family structure, parental relations, and number of friends and family members  in the urban areas. Findings suggest that supporting inter-generational relationships and agricultural activities, and enhancing the economic and socio-cultural aspects of rural areas can encourage young people to remain in the rural areas.