Migration and Development: Ghanaian Hometown Associations (HTAs) as Drivers of Welfare Development Back Home

Migration, especially from the Global South to the Global North, has in recent times encountered mixed reactions. This has in part influenced both international and national migration policies and regimes. These mixed reactions have intensified the debate concerning the migration and development nexus conundrum. However, past migration and development literature though not limited in focus, largely analyses the impact of migration on the macro, meso and micro levels of sending countries using concepts other than socio-psychological concepts. It is in light of this that this thesis seeks to contribute to knowledge of the impact of migration on the meso, or communal level, from seldom used socio-psychological concepts. The thesis investigates this impact through case studies on Ghanaian HTAs in the UK and their transnational activities oriented on developing welfare and wellbeing at the meso level ‘back home’.

The thesis focuses on four Ghanaian Hometown Associations (HTAs) and explores their welfare engagements in their own communities and other parts of Ghana. It does this through an extended analysis of family/household livelihood perspectives and through the lens of three socio- psychological theories: communal and exchange theory; individual and group self-centeredness concept; and role-set theory, seldom employed in migration studies. The thesis adopts a qualitative research method by conducting multi-sited fieldwork in the UK and Ghana. In doing so, it follows the works and activities of these associations between the UK and Ghana. Findings from the data collected through interviews, observation and secondary analysis of documentary sources, illuminate how Ghanaian HTAs positively impact meso level development back home. The findings also illuminate challenges and show that the associations’ motivations to undertake such activities are multifaceted. Key among these motivations are catering for the wellbeing of their left-behind families, the wellbeing of non-related families or the community and the wellbeing of the HTA members, especially when they visit or retire to live in Ghana. Furthermore, the findings indicate that Ghanaian HTAs’ transnational roles, especially in their communities back home, are mandated as an implicitly expected duty entrenched in Ghanaian socio-economic norms, formed around obligation and values of personhood. Hence, communities and families back home expect Ghanaians abroad to remit financial resources and newly found social ideas when their socio-economic wellbeing in receiving countries is perceived to be successful and stable. Lastly, policymakers, the Ghanaian government, the Ghanaian HTA members and recipients of the projects are also of the view that the Ghanaians abroad are crucial welfare development partners, hence the need to find feasible ways to engage them through workable policies, programs and strategies