By Jacques Wheps Castil and Quetya Aubin
The Haitian Studies Association (HSA), or Association of Haitian Studies (Asosyasyon Etid Ayisyen), is an interdisciplinary non-profit organization founded in 1987 by Haitian intellectuals in the United States. It aims to promote research on Haiti and encourage the exchange of ideas to inform education, practice and public policies, both in Haiti and internationally. Over its 37 years of existence, the HSA has evolved from a small group of academics, mainly in the humanities, to a robust and interdisciplinary association, ready to broaden its horizons and meet unique challenges. Every year, she organised an annual conference around a central theme on Haiti, launching a call for communications open to Haitian and non-Haitian researchers.
The Haitian diaspora and the urban factory: CREGED at the heart of the debates of the 37th HSA Conference
For its 37th edition, held at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from October 23 to 25, 2025, under the theme « 1825 | 2025 : RESTITISYON AK REPARASYON », HSA has received many proposals. Among them, Dr Hubermane Ciguino, economist and director of the Centre for Research in Management and Development Economics (CREGED) of Quisqueya University (UniQ), was accepted. Title « Migration and real estate investments in Haiti », This Communication is in keeping with its work on migration. It was presented in the panel « Migration, Diaspora and Civic Engagement », moderated by Professor Régine O. Jackson of Yale University, alongside George MacLeod of St Mary's College of Maryland.
The CREGED, the only laboratory in economics and management at UniQ, attached to the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences (FSEA), was created in March 2001. Evaluated positively in 2015 by international experts, he is associated with the Doctoral College of Haiti. Its central theme is « Strategies for economic growth and development », Entrepreneurship and innovation, and financing for development. Its areas of expertise include entrepreneurship (private, public, social), innovation dynamics, socio-economic behaviour, microfinance, banking finance and financial markets. The CREGED has a tradition of participating in HSA events, as evidenced by its role in organising the 30th conference in 2018 in Port-au-Prince, whose proceedings were published under the title Access to goods and services in Haiti – Bank and Development (Cadet, Providence & Paul, 2021, DOI: 10.54226/uniq.ecodev.18793).
Rethinking diaspora investment: Beyond simple transfers
In his presentation, Dr Ciguino analyzed how the investments of the Haitian diaspora contribute to the urban manufacturing in Haiti, through construction and real estate development. Based on an online survey of Haitians over the age of 18 living in a dozen countries (United States, Chile, Canada, Brazil, France, etc.), supplemented by secondary data from the Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), the study examines the level of real estate investment compared to average expenditure since migrants left. Using a logit model inspired by Osili (2004) and Mandhouj(2008), the results show that: (i) a high-income migrant positively influences housing dynamics in Haiti; (ii) the discounts have no significant effect; (iii) frequent travel between Haiti and the host country strengthens attachment to the country of origin and increases the propensity to invest, particularly in the construction or expansion of the family home. These findings are aligned with works such as those by Boubakri(1985), Ma Mung (1996) and Paul & Séraphin (2014), highlighting housing as a symbol of successful migration and a vector of local development.
Prospects for scientific cooperation
This participation not only enhanced the resilience of Haitian research despite the crises, but also opened avenues for equitable scientific partnerships. As detailed in Dr Ciguino's mission report, successful meetings took place: with Dr Claudine Michel (Journal of Haitian Studies, JOHS) to facilitate the publication of CREGED doctoral studies in special issues; with Prof. George MacLeod for microfinance collaborations (joint articles, participations in « CREGED Mondays », Thesis panels); with counsel Elie Happel (New York University) for a project on Haitian migration in the Dominican Republic, the Caribbean and Central America; and with colleagues from Cambridge, Ottawa, Quebec and Germany. These exchanges reinforce the international network of CREGED and emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to address Haitian challenges, aligned with the principles of restitution and reparation of the theme of the conference.
In short, the presence of CREGED at HSA 2025 illustrates how Haitian research can contribute to the global debate on migration and development, while promoting sustainable partnerships. It invites collective reflection on the role of institutions such as UniQ in promoting committed and inclusive science. This participation of CREGED demonstrates the resilience of the Haitian scientific community, which, despite the crises, continues to produce endogenous knowledge essential to understanding the development dynamics of Haiti.
References
Bank of the Republic of Haiti (BRH). (2020). Transfers shipped abroad in USD per country.
Boubakri, H. (1985). Migrants and their real estate investments in the country of origin. (Reference mentioned in the literature review; full details not available in the documents but related to work on Tunisian migration and investment returns).
Cadet, R.L., Providence, C., & Paul, B. (2021). Access to goods and services in Haiti – Bank and Development. Éditions Pédagogie Nouvelle S.A. et Université Quisqueya, Port-au-Prince. https://doi.org/10.54226/uniq.ecodev.18793
Lodigiani, E. (2008). Diaspora externalities and technology diffusion. International Economy, 3(115), 43-64.
Ma Mung, E. (1996). Market mobility and international migration. (Reference mentioned in the literature review; related to the socio-spatial dynamics of migrants).
Mandhouj, M. (2008). International migration and socio-spatial dynamics in the Tunisian Sahel: The case of Sayada city. Migracijske i etničke teme, 24(4), 353-370.
Nazaire, M. (2018). The participation of the Haitian diaspora of Quebec in local development in Haiti [PhD Thesis]. University of Quebec at Rimouski. Osili, U.O. (2004). Migrants and housing investments: Theory and evidence from Nigeria.
EconomicDevelopment and Cultural Change, 52(4), 821-849.
Paul, B., & Seraphin, H. (2014). Haitian Diaspora and local development. (Reference mentioned in the literature review; related to the impacts of discounts and investments in Haiti).
Saint-Hubert, F. (2012). The Haitian Migration, a challenge. Migration Policy Practice, 2(2), 14-15.
Jacques Wheps CASTIL
Haiti-Antilles Pole, Haiti Science and Society (Ha-Sci-So)
Team of Scientific Partners for Research Communication (E-PSi-CoRe)
Quetya AUBIN
Haiti-Antilles Pole, Haiti Science and Society (Ha-Sci-So)
Team of Scientific Partners for Research Communication (E-PSi-CoRe)
