Social remittances and local development in the Republic of Moldova. A critical analysis of migrants as agents of change

The phenomenon of social remittances has been investigated by authors of a vast literature who have also subjected to critical analysis the link between migration and development. The present paper explores the case of the Republic of Moldova in the context of south-eastern Europe, a region characterized by consolidated emigration that has generated a great flow of financial and social remittances over the years. Through multi-location research conducted in Italy and in Moldova, our goal is to analyse social remittances at the level of ‘ideas’ and the level of ‘practices’, discussing the conditions that have produced socioeconomic change in the localities of departure. This will show how this change does not always reflect the model of economic and social development sustained by international organizations and the European Union in the Eastern Partnership area.