The link you provided didn't work, but this one did:

http://www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/hpgbrief26.pdf

This is an interesting subject that doesn't get enough attention. The case I'm most familiar with is Eritrea, where remittances have essentially floated the economic boat through various crises. An interesting aspect is how the money gets transferred and it comes in all kinds of ways which makes it hard to track.

The wife of a colleague of mine, Jennifer Brinkerhoff, was recently named head of a new Diaspora Program at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. It's a new research and policy program focused on the influence of diaspora communities, including in conflict areas. She's done some interesting research, as well as her husband (Derick Brinkerhoff) who's done some research on remittances in Iraq