ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book offers an analysis of the employment and income potential of the small business sector in a number of migrant-sending countries. It reviews linkages between small-scale firms and international migration from Guadalajara. The book explores the linkage between remittances and small business development in a nation devastated by a decade of civil war. It provides evidence that remittances are an important source of resources for many small businesses in the country. The book describes a country-by-country discussion of national institutions and the types of assistance they provide to small and medium businesses in Central America. It argues that new initiatives to support the sector must move away from an almost exclusive attention on credit needs. The book examines how the flow of migrant remittances in the English-speaking Caribbean could be attuned to the dramatic changes taking place in international financial markets.
