Si ellas no vieran por mí, no tuviera nada: Remesas y estructuras financieras locales en el Austro Ecuatoriano. Una mirada transnacional al dinero de los migrantes

remittances have become an important topic for international organizations, financial institutions, nation-states, researchers, and more. of special interest is how to establish a link between the money sent by migrants and the processes of development and social change taking place in their places of origin. for an in-depth look, we must analyze migrants' ability to develop options, knowledge, and strategies that do not usually show in official statistical data. this paper analyzes an organizational process developed by rural communities in the austro region of ecuador. the process itself was based on pre-existent popular financial structures that have been strengthened by the channeling of remittances in what is otherwise a context of economic, political, and social crisis. our analysis takes a transnational approach in order to reveal the impact of remittances and the economic, social, and political significance ascribed to them by the people.