Emigration, return and development in Cape Verde: the impact of closing borders

Abstract Few countries in the world are more dependent on migration than Cape Verde. A small, barren and isolated place, Cape Verde has survived – and prospered – due to the migration lifeline. However, immigration policies in destination countries have made emigration gradually more difficult since the early 1970s until today. In Cape Verde, emigration is such a key structural feature of the society and economy that falling emigration is a major concern. This article addresses the ways in which the restrictive migration regime is affecting three aspects of the migration–development nexus in Cape Verde: recruitment of migrants, return migration, and remittances. The last of these is analysed within the context of transnational practices more generally. The ‘unmaking’ of the Cape Verdean diaspora is still no more than a future scenario, but the processes that challenge the continuation of diasporic loyalties have already gained momentum. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.