Benjamin James WaddellFort Lewis College · Sociology
Benjamin James Waddell
Sociology, PhD
About
13
Publications
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Introduction
My research focuses on the intersection of international immigration with development and crime in Latin America and the United States. I currently have two principle research projects. The first focuses on the social, cultural, and economic effects of international migration on migrant-sending regions in Mexico. The second analyzes the impact of return migration on contemporary Latin American society.
Publications
Publications (13)
The Geology, Ecology, and Human History of the San Luis Valley explores the rich landscapes and diverse social histories of the San Luis Valley, an impressive mountain valley spanning over 9,000 square miles that crosses the border of south-central Colorado and north-central New Mexico and includes many cultural traditions. Twenty-six expert schola...
Lauren Duquette-Rury’s first book Exit and Voice: The Paradox of Cross-Border Politics in Mexico evaluates the impact of migrant-led development on politics. Specifically, the author analyzes the relationship between migrant hometown associations and democratic development in migrant-sending communities across Mexico. The author triangulates betwee...
Despite legal and civil emancipation, minorities in the United States continue to face extremely unequal opportunity structures in the finan- cial realm. Evidence of this is found in the fact that segregation between Anglos and minorities has changed little since the civil rights era. This is par- ticularly true for Hispanics, who have actually wit...
There is reason to suspect that return migrants can reduce social violence in migrant-prone regions of the world. Taking into account that recent research shows positive effects of return migration, we consider that returners may reduce violence by contributing to social renewal and economic growth in their home communities. We estimate the direct...
In this chapter I focus on the social context in which violence and human rights violations have unfolded in modern Mexico. I analyze the relationship between mass emigration and violence in the state of Michoacán, Mexico. Based on qualitative evidence from the field, I argue that rising crime—including state-sponsored violence—is likely conditione...
For decades, the United States’ National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, has played a key role in shaping Nicaragua’s political arena. Today, NED grantees are at the forefront of the civil society groups supporting the current protests.
Untapped resources are hard to come by in the realm of international development. Migrant remittances, however, represent a relatively unexploited resource bank for developing countries. Still, researchers often debate the degree to which migrant remittances actually incite community development in practice. I rekindle the this theoretical discussi...
Mexican migrants are returning to their homeland at record rates. Along with material goods, these former migrants may bring with them new ways of thinking about the world and envisioning the future. Still, relatively little is known about the degree to which former migrants affect the wellbeing of their local communities over time. This study eval...
The present study analyzes the role of collective remittances in promoting democratic consolidation amid the decentralization of political decision making in Mexico. Specifically, I analyze how the remittance-matching program 3×1 para Migrantes conditions municipal politics in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. To this end, I evaluate 3×1 para Migran...