Migration, Remittances and Income Distribution: The case of the Central Western Region of Mexico, 2000-2008

The following article presents a diagnosis of migration from the central western Mexico and the perception of income held by Mexican households. This in order to distinguish the level of concentration of income in our country and the role of remittances as an additional element to income, reducing the degree of income concentration. Recognizing the strong historical link between Mexico and the United States in the economic, social and cultural development. This research takes as a case of study the Mexican migration to the northern neighbor. Thus, establishing from the determination of the Gini coefficient, taking as reference the current income of households with and without transfers (including the remittances factor), that during the period of 2000-2008, Mexico is characterized by possessing high levels of concentration of income and transfers, playing a key role to mitigate the inequity in the income distribution. This denotes the importance of the role remittances play in the lives of Mexican households.