Dilip Ratha: The hidden force in global economics: sending money home

Prevodilac: Ljiljana Ikodinovic Lektor: Mile Živković

I live in Washington, D.C.,

Živim u Vašingtonu

but I grew up in Sindhekela, a village in Orissa, in India.

ali sam odrastao u Sindekelu, selu u Orisi, u Indiji.

My father was a government worker.

Moj otac je bio državni službenik.

My mother could not read or write, but she

Moja majka je bila nepismena,

would say to me, "A king is worshipped only in his

ali bi mi govorila: "Kralja poštuju samo u njegovom kraljevstvu.

own kingdom. A poet is respected everywhere."

Pesnika poštuju svuda."

So I wanted to be a poet when I grew up.

I tako sam ja želeo da kada porastem postanem pesnik,

But I almost didn't go to college

ali umalo da nisam išao na koledž

until an aunt offered financial help.

dok tetka nije ponudila finansijsku pomoć.

I went to study in Sambalpur,

Studirao sam u Sambalpuru,

the largest town in the region,

najvećem gradu u regionu,

where, already in college, I saw a television for the first time.

gde sam, već kao student, prvi put gledao televiziju.

I had dreams of going to the United States

Sanjao sam da studije nastavim

for higher studies.

u Sjedinjenim Državama.

When the opportunity came,

Kada mi se ukazala prilika,

I crossed two oceans, with borrowed money

prešao sam dva okeana, novcem pozajmljenim

for airfare and only a $20 bill in my pocket.

za avionsku kartu i samo 20 dolara u džepu.

In the U.S., I worked in a research center,

U Sjedinjenim Državama sam radio u istraživačkom centru,

part-time, while taking graduate classes in economics.

pola radnog vremena, dok sam pohađao postdiplomske studije iz ekonomije.

And with the little I earned, I would

I sa ono malo što sam zarađivao, ja bih

finance myself and then I would send

podmirivao sopstvene troškove a potom slao

money home to my brother and my father.

novac kući bratu i ocu.

My story is not unique.

Moja priča nije jedinstvena.

There are millions of people who migrate each year.

Milioni ljudi migriraju svake godine.

With the help of the family, they cross oceans,

Uz pomoć svojih porodica, prelaze okeane,

they cross deserts, they cross rivers, they cross mountains.

prelaze pustinje, reke, planine.

They risk their lives to realize a dream,

Rizikuju živote kako bi ostvarili san,

and that dream is as simple as having a

a taj san je samo da negde imaju

decent job somewhere so they can send money home

pristojan posao, tako da bi mogli da šalju novac kući

and help the family,

i pomognu porodici,

which has helped them before.

koja je prethodno pomogla njima.

There are 232 million international migrants in the world.

Ima 232 miliona međunarodnih migranata u svetu.

To su ljudi koji ne žive

These are people who live in a country

other than their country of birth.

u zemlji u kojoj su se rodili.

If there was a country made up of

Kada bi postojala zemlja sačinjena

only international migrants,

samo od međunarodnih migranata,

that would be larger, in population,

ona bi imala stanovništvo brojnije

than Brazil.

od Brazila.

That would be larger, in its size

Ona bi imala ekonomiju po veličini

of the economy, than France.

veću od ekonomije Francuske.

Some 180 million of them, from poor countries,

Od njih oko 180 miliona, koji potiču iz siromašnih zemalja

send money home regularly.

redovno šalju novac kući.

Those sums of money are called remittances.

Te količine novca se zovu doznake.

Here is a fact that might surprise you:

Evo jedne činjenice koja vas može iznenaditi:

413 billion dollars, 413 billion dollars

413 milijadi dolara, 413 milijardi dolara

was the amount of remittances sent last year

je količina doznaka koje su prošle godine poslali

by migrants to developing countries.

migranti u zemlje u razvoju.

Migrants from developing countries,

Migranti iz zemalja u razvoju,

money sent to developing countries —

novac poslat u zemlje u razvoju:

413 billion dollars.

413 milijardi dolara.

That's a remarkable number because

Ovo je izuzetan broj jer je

that is three times the size of

tri puta veći od ukupne sume

the total of development aid money.

finansijske pomoći za razvoj.

And yet, you and I,

Ali ipak, vi i ja,

my colleagues in Washington,

moje kolege u Vašingtonu,

we endlessly debate and

neprestano raspravljamo i

discuss about development aid,

diskutujemo o pomoći za razvoj

while we ignore remittances as small change.

i ignorišemo doznake kao sitan novac.

True, people send 200 dollars per month,

Istina, ljudi mesečno šalju 200 dolara u proseku.

on average. But, repeated month after month,

Ali, kada to ponavljaju svakog meseca,

by millions of people,

milioni ljudi,

these sums of money add up to rivers of foreign currency.

te sume novca formiraju reke stranih valuta.

So India, last year, received 72 billion dollars, larger than

Tako je Indija prošle godine primila 72 milijarde dolara, što je više

its IT exports.

od njenog izvoza informacionih tehnologija.

In Egypt remittances are three times

U Egiptu su doznake tri puta veće

the size of revenues from the Suez Canal.

od prihoda ostvarenog od Sueckog kanala.

In Tajikistan, remittances are 42 percent of GDP.

U Tadžikistanu, doznake čine 42 procenata bruto domaćeg proizvoda.

And in poorer countries, smaller countries, fragile countries,

A u siromašnijim, manjim zemljama, krhkijim zemljama,

conflict-afflicted countries, remittances are a lifeline,

zemljama zahvaćenim sukobima, doznake su pojas za spasavanje,

as in Somalia or in Haiti.

kao u Somaliji ili na Haitiju.

Nije čudo što ovi tokovi imaju snažan

No wonder these flows have huge

impacts on economies and on poor people.

uticaj na ekonomije i siromašne ljude.

Remittances, unlike private investment money,

Doznake se, za razliku od privatnih investicija,

they don't flow back at the first

ne povlače na prvi znak

sign of trouble in the country.

problema u zemlji.

They actually act like an insurance.

One se zapravo ponašaju kao osiguranje.

When the family is in trouble,

Kada je porodica u problemu,

facing hardship, facing hard times,

kada se suočava sa teškoćama,

remittances increase, they act like an insurance.

doznake se povećavaju, one se ponašaju kao osiguranje.

Migrants send more money then.

Tada migranti šalju više novca.

Unlike development aid money,

Za razliku od pomoći razvoju,

that must go through official agencies,

koji mora da prođe kroz zvanične organe,

through governments, remittances

kroz vlade, doznake

directly reach the poor,

direktno dolaze do siromašnih,

reach the family,

do porodica,

and often with business advice.

često uz poslovni savet.

So in Nepal, the share of poor

Tako je u Nepalu udeo siromašnog stanovništva

people was 42 percent in 1995,

1995. godine činio

the share of poor people in the population.

42 procenata ukupnog stanovništva.

By 2005, a decade later, at a

Do 2005. godine, deceniju kasnije,

time of political crisis, economic crisis,

u vreme političke i ekonomske krize,

the share of poor people went down to 31 percent.

učešće siromašnih je opalo na 31 procenat.

That decline in poverty, most of it,

Ovaj pad siromaštva, u većem delu,

about half of it, is believed to be

oko polovine, je kako se veruje,

because of remittances from India,

posledica doznaka iz Indije,

another poor country.

druge siromašne zemlje.

In El Salvador, the school dropout

U El Salvadoru, stopa napuštanja školovanja

rate among children is lower

je manja među decom

in families that receive remittances.

čije porodice primaju doznake.

In Mexico and Sri Lanka,

U Meksiku i Šri Lanki,

the birth weight of children is higher

porođajna težina je veća kod dece

among families that receive remittances.

onih porodica koje dobijaju doznake.

Remittances are dollars wrapped with care.

Doznake su brižljivo upakovani dolari.

Migrants send money home for food,

Migranti kući šalju novac za hranu,

for buying necessities, for building houses,

kupovinu potrepština, zidanje kuća,

for funding education, for funding

finansiranje školovanja,

healthcare for the elderly, for business

zdravstvene nege starijih, za poslovne investicije,

investments for friends and family.

prijateljima i porodici.

Migrants send even more money home

Migranti šalju kući još više novca

for special occasions like a surgery

za specijalne prilike poput operacije

or a wedding. And migrants also send

ili venčanja. A migranti još šalju novac,

money, perhaps far too many times,

možda prečesto,

for unexpected funerals that

za neočekivane sahrane

they cannot attend.

kojima ne mogu da prisustvuju.

Much as these flows do all that good,

I pored toga što ovi tokovi čine toliko dobra,

there are barriers to these

postoje prepreke ovim

flows of remittances, these

tokovima doznaka, ovim

400 billion dollars of remittances.

doznakama vrednim 400 milijardi dolara .

Foremost among them is

Najznačajnija među njima je

the exorbitant cost of sending money home.

previsoka cena slanja novca kući.

Money transfer companies structure

Kompanije za transfer novca formiraju

their fees to milk the poor.

svoje provizije kako bi muzli siromašne.

They will say, "Up to 500 dollars

Oni kažu: "Ako hoćete da pošaljete

if you want to send, we will charge you

do 500 USD naplatićemo vam

30 dollars fixed."

fiksnih 30 dolara."

If you are poor and if you have only 200 dollars to send,

Ukoliko ste siromašni i možete da pošaljete samo 200 dolara,

you have to pay that $30 fee.

morate da platite proviziju od 30 dolara.

The global average cost of sending

Prosečna globalna cena slanja novca

money is eight percent.

je osam procenata.

That means you send 100 dollars,

To znači da će, ako šaljete 100 dolara,

the family on the other side receives only

porodica sa druge strane primiti

92 dollars.

samo 92 dolara.

To send money to Africa,

Slanje novca u Afriku

the cost is even higher:

košta još više:

12 percent.

12 procenata.

To send money within Africa,

Za slanje novca u okviru Afrike,

the cost is even higher:

cena je još viša:

over 20 percent.

preko 20 procenata.

For example, sending money from Benin to Nigeria.

Na primer, ukoliko šaljete novac iz Benina u Nigeriju.

And then there is the case of Venezuela, where,

A tu je i slučaj Venecuele,

because of exchange controls,

gde zbog kontrole deviznog kursa

you send 100 dollars and you

imate sreće ukoliko

are lucky if the family on the other side

kada pošaljete 100 dolara

receives even 10 dollars.

vaša porodice sa druge strane primi čak i 10 dolara.

Of course, nobody sends money to Venezuela

Naravno, u Venecuelu niko ne šalje

through the official channel.

novac zvaničnim kanalima.

It all goes in suitcases.

Stavlja se u kofere.

Whereever costs are high,

Kad god su troškovi visoki,

money goes underground.

novac putuje tajnim kanalima.

And what is worse,

I što je najgore,

many developing countries actually

mnoge zemlje u razvoju

have a blanket ban on sending money

u potpunosti brane slanje novca

out of the country.

van zemlje.

Many rich nations also have a

Mnoge bogate nacije imaju

blanket ban on sending money to specific countries.

potpunu zabranu slanja novca u pojedine zemlje.

So, is it that there are no options,

Pa, da li nema drugih mogućnosti,

no better options, cheaper options, to send money?

boljih, jeftinijih opcija za slanje novca?

There are.

Ima ih.

M-Pesa in Kenya enables people to send money

M-Pesa u Keniji omogućava ljudima da šalju

and receive money at a fixed cost of only

i primaju novac po fiksnoj ceni od samo

60 cents per transaction.

60 centi po transakciji.

U.S. Fed started a program with Mexico

Centralna banka SAD-a je započela program sa Meksikom

to enable money service businesses

kojim se firmama za transfer novca

to send money to Mexico

omogućuje da šalju novac u Meksiko

for a fixed cost of only 67 cents per transaction.

za fiksnu cenu od samo 67 centi po transakciji.

And yet, these faster, cheaper, better options

Ali ipak, ove brže, jeftinije, bolje opcije

can't be applied internationally

ne mogu da budu primenjene internacionalno

because of the fear of money laundering,

zbog straha od pranja novca,

even though there is little data

iako ima malo podataka

to support any connection, any significant

koji bi podržavali njihovu povezanost, bilo kakvu

connection between money laundering

značajnu vezu između pranja novca

and these small remittance transactions.

i ovih malih transakcija doznakama.

Danas mnoge međunarodne banke

Many international banks now

are wary of hosting bank accounts

nerado drže bankarske račune

of money service businesses, especially

firmama koje se bave novčanim uslugama, naročito

those serving Somalia.

onima koje posluju sa Somalijom.

Somalia, a country where the

Somalija, zemlja u kojoj je

per capita income is only 250 dollars per year.

prihod po glavi stanovnika samo 250 USD godišnje.

Monthly remittances, on average, to Somalia

Prosečne mesečne doznake Somaliji

is larger than that amount.

veće su od te sume.

Remittances are the lifeblood of Somalia.

Doznake su žila kucavica Somalije.

And yet, this is an example of

Ali opet, ovo je primer kako

the right hand giving a lot of aid,

desna ruka pruža mnogo pomoći,

while the left hand is cutting the lifeblood

dok leva seče žilu kucavicu

to that economy, through regulations.

ovoj ekonomiji, kroz propise.

Then there is the case of poor people from villages, like me.

Tu je i slučaj siromašnih ljudi iz sela, poput mene.

In the villages, the only place where you can

U selima je jedino mesto

get money is through the post office.

na kome možete podići novac pošta.

Most of the governments in the world

Većina vlada u svetu

have allowed their post offices to have

je dozvolila poštama posedovanje

exclusive partnerships with money transfer companies.

isključivog partnerstva sa kompanijama za transfer novca.

So, if I have to send money to my

Tako da, ukoliko želim da pošaljem novac

father in the village, I must send money

ocu u selo, moram da ga pošaljem

through that particular money transfer company,

preko te određene kompanije za transfer novca,

even if the cost is high.

čak iako imaju visoku cenu.

I cannot go to a cheaper option.

Ne mogu ići na jeftiniju opciju.

This has to go.

To mora da se promeni.

So, what can international organizations and

Dakle, šta internacionalne organizacije i

social entrepreneurs do to reduce the cost

socijalni preduzetnici mogu da smanje cenu

of sending money home?

slanja novca kući?

First, relax regulations on small remittances under 1,000 dollars.

Prvo, ublažiti propise za male doznake ispod 1000 USD.

Governments should recognize that

Vlade treba da prepoznaju da

small remittances are not money laundering.

male doznake nisu pranje novca.

Second, governments should abolish exclusive partnerships

Drugo, vlade treba da ukinu isključivo partnerstvo

between their post office and the money transfer company.

izmeđe pošta i kompanija za transfer novca.

For that matter, between the post office

Štaviše, i između pošte i

and any national banking system that

bilo kog nacionalnog bankarskog sistema

has a large network that serves the poor.

koji ima široku mrežu koja opslužuje siromašne.

In fact, they should promote competition,

Zapravo, one treba da podstiču konkurenciju,

open up the partnership so that

da otvore partnerstvo tako

we will bring down costs like we did,

da spustimo cene, kao što smo,

like they did, in the telecommunications industry.

kao što su oni učinili u telekomunikacionoj industriji.

You have seen what has happened there.

Videli ste šta se tamo dogodilo.

Third, large nonprofit philanthropic organizations

Treće, velike neprofitne dobrotvorne organizacije

treba da sačine platformu za doznake

should create a remittance platform

na neprofitnim osnovama.

on a nonprofit basis.

They should create a nonprofit

Oni bi trebalo da kreiraju neprofitnu

remittance platform to serve the money transfer

platformu za doznake koja bi služila kompanijama

companies so that they can send money at a low cost,

za transfer novca, tako da mogu da šalju novac za nisku cenu,

while complying with all the complex

poslujući u skladu sa svim složenim

regulations all over the world.

propisima širom sveta.

Zemlje u razvoju treba da

The development community should

set a goal of reducing remittance costs

sebi za cilj postave smanjenje troškova doznaka

to one percent from the current eight percent.

na jedan procenat sa sadašnjih osam procenata.

If we reduce costs to one percent,

Ukoliko smanjimo troškove na jedan procenat,

that would release a saving of 30 billion dollars per year.

to bi donelo uštedu od 30 milijardi dolara godišnje.

Thirty billion dollars, that's larger than the entire

Trideset milijardi dolara, to je više od celokupnog bilateralnog

bilateral aid budget going to Africa per year.

budžeta za pomoć koja ide Africi godišnje.

That is larger than, or almost similar to,

To je više, ili gotovo jednako

the total aid budget of the United States government,

ukupnom budžetu za pomoć vlade SAD-a,

the largest donor on the planet.

najvećeg donatora na planeti.

Actually, the savings would be larger

Zapravo, uštede bi bile veće

than that 30 billion because remittance channels

od 30 milijardi jer se kanali kojima se kreću doznake

are also used for aid, trade and investment purposes.

koriste i za pomoć, trgovinu i investicije.

Another major impediment to the

Druga velika prepreka

flow of remittances reaching the family

kretanju doznaka ka familijama

is the large and exorbitant

je znatan i neumeren

and illegal cost of recruitment,

i ilegalan trošak regrutovanja,

fees that migrants pay, migrant workers

provizije koju migranti radnici

pay to laborers who found them the job.

plaćaju radnicima koji su im pronašli posao.

I was in Dubai a few years ago.

Pre nekoliko godina sam bio u Dubaiju.

I visited a camp for workers.

Posetio sam radnički kamp.

It was 8 in the evening, dark, hot, humid.

Bilo je osam sati uveče, mračno, vruće, puno vlage.

Workers were coming back from

Radnici su se vraćali nakon

their grueling day of work,

iscrpljujućeg radnog dana,

and I struck a conversation

i zapodenuo sam razgovor

with a Bangladeshi construction worker.

sa građevinskim radnikom iz Bangladeša.

He was preoccupied that he is sending

Bio je zabrinut što je kući

money home, he has been

slao novac, do tada već

sending money home for a few months now,

tokom nekoliko meseci,

and the money is mostly going

a novac je u najvećem delu išao

to the recruitment agent, to the labor agent

agentu za zapošljavanje

who found him that job.

koji mu je pronašao taj posao.

And in my mind, I could picture

I mogao sam sebi da predstavim

the wife waiting for

njegovu ženu koja čeka

the monthly remittance.

mesečnu doznaku.

The remittance arrives.

Doznaka stiže.

She takes the money and hands

Ona je prima i predaje

it over to the recruitment agent,

agentu za zapošljavanje,

while the children are looking on.

dok deca to posmatraju.

This has to stop.

Ovo mora da se prekine.

It is not only construction workers from Bangladesh,

Ovo se ne odnosi samo na građevinske radnike iz Bangledaša,

it is all the workers. There are millions of migrant

odnosi se na sve radnike. Postoje milioni migranata

workers who suffer from this problem.

radnika koji ispaštaju zbog ovog problema.

A construction worker from Bangladesh,

Građevinski radnik iz Bangladeša,

on an average, pays about 4,000 dollars in recruitment fees

u proseku, plaća oko 4000 dolara proviziju za zapošljavanje

for a job that gives him only 2,000 dollars per year in income.

za posao koji mu donosi godišnji prihod od samo 2000 dolara.

That means that for the two years or three years

To znači da će tokom dve ili tri godine života,

of his life, he is basically sending money

on u osnovi slati novac

to pay for the recruitment fees.

kako bi platio naknadu za zapošljavanje.

The family doesn't get to see any of it.

Njegova porodica ne dobija ništa od tog novca.

It is not only Dubai, it is the dark

Ovo se ne događa samo u Dubaiju,

underbelly of every major city in the world.

to je mračna strana svakog velikog grada na svetu.

It is not only Bangladeshi construction workers,

Ne radi se samo o građevinskim radnicima iz Bangladeša,

it is workers from all over the world.

u pitanju su radnici iz celog sveta.

It is not only men.

Oni nisu samo muškarci.

Women are especially vulnerable to

Žene su naročito podložne

recruitment malpractices.

zloupotrebi tokom regrutovanja.

One of the most exciting and newest

Jedna od najuzbudljivijih i najnovijih

thing happening in the area of remittances

stvari koje se zbivaju u sferi doznaka

is how to mobilize, through innovation,

je kako pokrenuti, kroz inovaciju,

diaspora saving and diaspora giving.

štednju i davanje dijaspore.

Migrants send money home,

Migranti kući šalju novac,

but they also save a large amount of

ali oni i štede velike količine

money where they live.

novca tamo gde žive.

Annually, migrant savings are estimated

Štednja migranata je procenjena na

to be 500 billion dollars.

500 milijardi dolara godišnje.

Most of that money is parked in

Većina tog novca je smeštena u

bank deposits that give you zero percent interest rate.

depozite banaka koje vam daju nula procenata kamatne stope.

If a country were to come and offer a three percent

Ukoliko bi došle države i ponudile kamatnu stopu od

or four percent interest rate, and then say

tri ili četiri procenta, i rekle

that the money would be used for building schools,

da će taj novac biti iskorišćen za izgradnju škola,

roads, airports, train systems

puteva, aerodroma, železnice

in the country of origin, a lot

u njihovoj zemlji porekla,

of migrants would be interested in

mnogi migranti bi bili zainteresovani

parting with their money because

da daju novac, jer

it's not only financial gains that

nije samo finansijska dobit ta koja

give them an opportunity

im daje mogućnost

to stay engaged with their country's development.

da budu uključeni u razvoj svoje zemlje.

Remittance channels can be used

Kanali doznaka mogu da budu iskorišćeni

to sell these bonds to migrants

i za prodaju ovih menica migrantima

because when they come

jer kada oni svakoga meseca

on a monthly basis to send remittances,

dođu da pošalju doznaku,

that's when you can actually sell it to them.

tada im je zaista možete prodati.

You can also do the same

Isto možete da uradite

for mobilizing diaspora giving.

da pokrenete davanja dijaspore.

I would love to invest in a

Ja bih voleo da investiram

bullet train system in India

u sistem brzih vozova u Indiji

and I would love to contribute to efforts

i voleo bih da doprinesem naporima

to fight malaria in my village.

u borbi sa malarijom u mom selu.

Remittances are a great way of

Doznake su odličan način

sharing prosperity between places

na koji se dobrobit deli između mesta,

in a targeted way that benefits

na ciljani način od kojeg imaju koristi

those who need them most.

oni kojima je najpotrebnija.

Remittances empower people.

Doznake opunomoćuju ljude.

We must do all we can to make remittances

Moramo da učinimo sve u svojoj moći da doznake

and recruitment

i regrutovanje

safer and cheaper.

učinimo sigurnijim i jeftinijim.

And it can be done.

A to se može učiniti.

As for myself, I have been

Što se mene tiče, ja sam

away from India for two decades now.

van Indije već dve decenije.

My wife is a Venezuelan.

Moja supruga je Venecuelanka.

My children are Americans.

Moja deca su Amerikanci.

Increasingly, I feel like a global citizen.

Sve više se osećam kao građanin sveta.

And yet, I am growing nostalgic

Ipak, sve sam više nostalgičan

about my country of birth.

prema zemlji iz koje potičem.

I want to be in India and in the U.S. at the same time.

Želeo bih da budem u Indiji i SAD-u u isto vreme.

My parents are not there anymore.

Moji roditelji više nisu tamo.

My brothers and sisters have moved on.

Moja braća i sestre su napredovali.

There is no real urgency for me to send money home.

Nema prave potrebe da kući šaljem novac.

And yet, from time to time,

Ali ipak, s vremena na vreme,

I send money home to friends,

šaljem novac kući prijateljima,

to relatives, to the village,

rođacima, selu,

to be there, to stay engaged —

kako bih bio tamo, kako bih ostao angažovan,

that's part of my identity.

to je deo mog identiteta.

And, I'm still striving to be a poet

I još uvek težim da budem pesnik

for the hardworking migrants

marljivim migrantima

and their struggle to break free

i njihovoj borbi da se oslobode

of the cycle of poverty.

kruga siromaštva.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Aplauz)