Transnational Migration, Customary Governance, and the Future of Community A Case Study from Oaxaca, Mexico

Common-property regimes owned and governed by predominantly indigenous communities are widespread in the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The traditional governance systems of these communities are under strain because of transnational migration, which reduces the number of resident adults available to assume public offices and contribute labor to community projects. A study of responses to this situation in two such communities identified adaptations including the establishment of hometown associations in migrant communities in the United States and the requirement that migrants hire substitutes to fulfill their obligations in the home community. Given shifts in migration patterns and migrant profiles, however, these adaptations have so far been insufficient to relieve the stress on governance institutions, and this has implications for community identity and governance in the future.