What is it about?
Private couriers are considered just businesses. However, they have a complex relationship with their clients, often knowing their life histories. The service is often seen as a mere conduit for monetary remittances, but in reality the monetary value of parcels is eclipsed by the important connection across borders they provide for transnational families.
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Why is it important?
Moldovan private parcel van services are part of an extensive pan-European migrant infrastructure, they are resilient and adaptive to geopolitical changes. This article helps policymakers and border officials see these operators as important actors mediating Moldovan migrants' communication with their family members in Moldova, rather than solely commercial enterprises.
Perspectives
So far, there are no in-depth studies on Moldovan couriers and their clients, despite them having operated for over 30 years. As a user of these services myself, I had the privilege of gaining access to the inner working of such companies, allowing me to see the employees as social beings whose hard labour to maintain connections to home for Moldovans abroad is still undervalued.
Sanda Caracentev
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The ‘Goods’ Conundrum: the Question of Value in Moldovan Transnational Parcel-Sending Practices, Economy and Sociology, February 2024, Academy of Economic Studies,
DOI: 10.36004/nier.es.2023.2-03.
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