Join for a talk with Alexandre Gori Maia, Associate Professor at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He will talk about Migration and Political Development in Brazil.
This talk is part of the Brazil Research Seminar Series.
This study is a result of the research developed in partnership with Professor Yao Lu (ILAS). Despite periods of political and economic instability, the past few decades in Brazil have witnessed a process of deepening democratization. Nevertheless, development of effective democratic institutions is still underway. Traditional political elites often dominate the scene and clientelistic practices remain an enduring characteristic of the Brazilian political structure. The process of democratization has coincided with sustained flows of domestic migration. The country presents nowadays one of the highest intensities of internal migration of the developing world. Internal migratory cycles have traditionally been directed mainly to the larger metropolitan areas and to the new borders of agricultural development. And the institutional structures in origin and destination of migrants preserve important distinctions that can serve as a basis for political remittances. Our study examines how internal migration affects political development in sending localities. We show that migration increases electoral competition and the political participation of those left behind. The impact is larger in sending localities embedded in less democratic political structures, such as those dominated by hegemonic authorities or experiencing low levels of political participation. The results are also suggestive of political remittances: migrants learn political values of their host localities and transmit them back to their communities of origin.
The talk will be held on October 25th, 2018 from 1:00-2:00 PM in room 802 at the International Affairs Building (420 West 118th Street).
Food will be served.
