A Mobile Perspective on Remitting: How Transit Migration Affects Senegalese, Ghanaian, and Congolese Migrants’ Remittance Sending Behaviour Along Their Migration Trajectories

Abstract

This study examines how Ghanaian, Congolese, and Senegalese migrants’ remittance sending behaviour is related to being in transit (or not) along their migration trajectories. Drawing on the capabilities approach, we hypothesise that transit stays, characterised by precariousness and vulnerability, negatively influence migrants’ capacities, thereby lowering their probability to remit. These situational characteristics are also expected to weaken the positive relationship between attachment to origin countries and remitting. Retrospective MAFE data provide migration histories between Africa and Europe. We find no overall support that transit stays decrease migrants’ probability to remit. However, their subjective wealth relates negatively, and their occupational status positively to remitting. While in transit, migrants report a lower subjective wealth and more precarious legal status, but a higher occupational status. Moreover, the relationship between attachment and remitting is stronger in transit stays.