Transnational aspects of the household economics of labor migrants from central Asia in Russia

Abstract

The article is based on the comparative study of migrants living in Russia as well as their families in Central Asia (Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan). The author proposes to consider economic practice of migrants broader than just money transfers; reproduction of human capital, formation of supply and demand, exchange of things and ideas should also be taken into consideration. Four basic types of the family engagement in migration (i. e. types of organization of household economics) based on the income and expenditure analysis are singled out: «family couples», «single women» (married or divorced), «single man/woman», and «married man». The study is focused on transnational migrant household as a unit of economic activity analysis which helps understanding the strategies of integration of migrants and, in some cases, the nature of international migration.