Economist Dilip Ratha was the first to analyze the global significance of remittances — money sent from foreign workers to their families back home.

Why you should listen

At over US$400 billion per year, and growing, remittances -- money sent home by migrants -- are three times bigger than the total of international aid budgets, and represent some of the largest financial inflows to poor countries. Economist Dilip Ratha was the first to point out the global and national significance of remittances and their social and economic impact.

He is the manager of the Migration and Remittances team at the World Bank and the head of the Global knowledge partnership on migration and development (KNOMAD). He also co-coordinates the G8/G20 Global Remittances Working Group, and is involved in a number of other organizations focusing on remittances. Besides migration, he has done pioneering work on innovative financing including diaspora bonds and South-South foreign direct investment.

What others say

“No one has done more than Dilip Ratha to make migration and its potential rewards a top-of-the-agenda concern in the world’s development ministries.” — The New York Times

Dilip Ratha’s TED talk

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