Diaspora’s role in their home country’s economic development: The case of Kosovo

The main challenge for a sustainability transition is to scale up successful solutions. Upscaling requires coalitions of public, private, and civil society actors who align their motivations. Pathways to upscaling may involve leveraging a dominant player's market power, integrating successful initiatives into public policy, or reinforcing government-led change with private efforts. Various actors agree to collaborate to take advantage of their complementary capabilities, e.g., government policies facilitate private action, market incentives reward progressive actors while government sanctions punish laggards, actors take up different tasks of the policy cycle, and large players absorb and disseminate pioneer efforts. To achieve durable impacts, the upscaling of solutions to reach sustainability must continually maintain a balance of incentives among key actors. We identify general lessons for successful upscaling that provide insights on the importance of motivating actors, designing collaborations for lasting success, and incorporating concerns of developing countries.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the trends, patterns and the impact of cultural and home country macroeconomic influences on Chinese cross-border mergers and acquisitions (CBM&A) as foreign entry strategy for the period of 1998-2011.Design/methodology/approachUsing three regression models, namely, ordinary least squares, the random effects and fixed effects to examine the impact of home country macroeconomic and cultural factors on CBM&A outflows as an entry mode of Chinese firms. The authors check the robustness of the results using system GMM.FindingsThe findings suggest that CBM&A as a preferred mode of market entry provides a means for obtaining strategic resources to develop competitive advantages for the Chinese emerging market firms. The regression results indicate that home country macroeconomic and cultural variables, including gross domestic product (GDP), liquidity, interest rates, inflation, acquisitions in resource seeking sectors and cultural distance play an important role in explaining the trends of CBM&A outflows by the Chinese firms.Research limitations/implicationsThe results imply that government support to emerging market multinational enterprises (EMEs) to acquire strategic assets and economic policies in the home country play an important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of EMEs through CBM&A. The study demonstrates that outward investments of EMEs are partly a function of the level of economic policies and government support at home. The limitation is that most of the Chinese CBM&A transactions took place in Asia/Pacific locations. Future studies appear warranted if new data become available.Originality/valueThe study demonstrates how the institutions, strategic asset seeking with government support and economic policies in the home country play important role in shaping international expansion behaviour of emerging market enterprises through CBM&A thereby contributing to the political economy literature and institutional theory. More importantly, the study shows that the level of economic policies and development such as GDP, money supply, interest rates, inflation of the home country are important for EME growth in the international market.

Older migrants constitute a heterogeneous population, an aspect that is rarely acknowledged in the literature. This chapter shows how older migrants from the same country of origin but with different migration contexts make use of welfare provisions in their host country. By migration contexts, we mean socio-political situations in the home and host countries at the time of migration, and the life course stage at which migration occurs. Use of welfare provisions are defined as the ways that migrants articulate public, third sector and informal providers. The analysis draws on twenty-six biographical narrative interviews with older Romanian migrants in Switzerland and in neighbouring France. The outcome points to two groups of older migrants: former political refugees who arrived in Switzerland when young and aged in place, and recently arrived family migrants who mainly joined their adult children abroad. The two groups of older migrants exhibit important differences in the use of welfare provisions, and the location where those are accessed.

Introduction Quantitative studies reveal that trade union representatives are dealing with a number of specific psychosocial risk factors. The existing literature leaves many questions unanswered on the underlying reasons for these psychosocial risks and on difficulties in addressing them. A qualitative research could offer an opportunity to tackle this knowledge gap and to provide deeper understanding of this subject. Methods Eight semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with trade union representatives from the 2 largest Belgian unions: ACV ( Confederation of Christian Trade Unions ) and ABVV ( General Federation of Belgian Labour ). A purposeful sample of participants was recruited from a wide range of sectors and types of work organisation. Template analysis was used to examine their unique job demands and job resources. Results Using the job demands-resources model as a conceptual framework it was possible to map the unique psychosocial risk factors experienced by trade union representatives. Quantitative, qualitative and emotional overload, role conflict, role ambiguity and a conflictual relationship with their employers were found to be the major job demands. Social support from the workers, other representatives and the trade union were found to be the most important job resources, as well as having the knowledge and skills, experiencing success and having strong trade union beliefs. The findings of this study also suggest that workplace restructuring could profoundly impact the job demands and job resources experienced by trade union representatives. Conclusions A rich and complex account of the experiences of the participants could be created. In general the results fit the existing literature but they add a deeper understanding of how and why trade union representatives are experiencing certain job demands and job resources. The study resulted in a wide range of propositions to improve the prevention of psychosocial risks in trade union representatives.

The International Labour Organisation describes ADR as a set of processes that comprise of negotiation, conciliation, mediation and arbitration. This description includes a set of approaches to settling disputes, which in practice vary significantly in terms of their nature and use from one institutional context to another. ADR has been analysed by some scholars as a means of bringing workplace justice to more people at lower cost and with greater speed than conventional government channels. Within the context of ADR, conciliation is seen as one of the most common and important forms of dispute resolution. Although there is a rising interest in the extent of and outcomes of conciliation, its nature in some contexts remains underexplored. This study presents empirical evidence collated among employer, management and trade union representatives as well as other stakeholders that have a role to play in collective conciliation in Nigeria. The study is qualitative due to its suitability for generating data and gathering rich and robust information. A total of twenty-three interviews were conducted between May 2015 and March 2016. The findings of this study reveal the impact of the independence and objectivity of ADR institutions while carrying out their responsibilities. It establishes that management and trade union interactions during conciliation are characterised by lack of trust, lack of confidence, fear and anxiety. It demonstrates how the attitude of management during negotiation can be attributed to their perception of the behaviour and demeanour of trade unions and conciliators. Lastly, the study affirms the link between the mind-set and approaches of the actors and highlights its connection to the actions and behaviour of trade union and management representatives during their interactions as evident within the Nigerian context.

Unfreezing unspent social special-purpose funds for the Covid-19 crisis: Critical reflections from India

Debates on human rights in recent years have brought to the fore stark fault lines between African countries, where societal intolerance towards homosexuality is prevalent, and Western countries, which hold more tolerant views towards homosexuality. As contention rages around African identity and homosexuality, one interesting question calls for attention: how do the attitudes of Africans towards homosexuality evolve—or not—when they migrate from their home context to a more open society where homosexuality is widely accepted? This study draws on Herek’s ‘attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale’ (ATLG) to investigate homophobia among Cameroonians at home compared to Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland and uses in-depth interviews to understand the reasons for any change in or persistence of attitudes. Survey data shows that Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland portray significantly less homophobia compared to Cameroonians living at home. Qualitative analysis identified four factors that contributed to change in attitudes among Cameroonian migrants: (i) experiencing racial prejudice and xenophobia prompted self-reflection about their own prejudices towards others; (ii) witnessing, first-hand, the huge infrastructure and development gap between their host and home country exposed anti-homosexuality politics back home as a needless distraction from actual development priorities; (iii) greater opportunities to meet and interact with gay people in the host country challenged long-held home-grown stereotypes about homosexuality; and (iv) non-discrimination standards and codes of conduct in the workplace in the host country encouraged conformity and shifts towards greater tolerance.

Within a notoriously restrictive migration regime, the three-tier Swiss pension system introduces differential rights according to nationality, legal status, and place of residence. Some migrants can continue to receive the basic state pension, along with their employer’s pension, while residing abroad, but this is not possible for those in other categories. These rights and restrictions obviously influence the older migrants’ interactions with family members in their home and destination countries, both as recipients and providers of financial support and care on a daily basis. Drawing on life-course analysis, this chapter discusses the manner in which a particular group of older migrants envisages the retirement phase of their lives. The research is based on biographical interviews with thirty male and female Peruvians aged 50+, currently residing in Switzerland. We show that the retirement aspirations of these older migrants are diverse and varied: they may intend to remain in the host country for the rest of their lives, return home on a permanent basis, move to another destination country, or adopt some form of pendulum mobility. We see their plans as the result of complex interactions between host country migration regimes, accumulated pension rights and transnational care configurations, all of which are inherently gendered.

This paper examines the transnational political practices of the Chilean migrants residing in Switzerland. It is mainly interested in their political mobilization. It focuses on two particular questions: what are the main modes of transnational political mobilization of Chileans living in the Swiss Confederation? What are the conditions that promote the mobilization of these migrants and lead them to bring forth political demands? With respect to the first question, data shows that Chileans’ political mobilization combines mostly classical homeland politics (issues related to human rights), initiated during the period of exile, with emigrant politics concerning the transnational status and rights of migrants themselves. With respect to the second question, factors which explain the political mobilization of migrants are related to access to political opportunities for Chileans in Switzerland (dual citizenship, political networks, and presence of international organizations) and limitation of rights in the home country. This goes hand in hand with a strong political identity, important collective resources and the capacity to use them politically.

This chapter analyses the intergenerational diaspora engagement of Keralite migrants in Switzerland. In the southern state of India, Kerala, migration has been internalised to such an extent in society that scholars speak of migration as a part of the Keralite culture. Migrants play an important role in the development of their countries of origin. Diaspora engagement has emerged as a significant area of concern for academia and policy making. As migrants maintain social, economic and political transnational ties to their country of origin, they have been identified as important stakeholders for the development in their home country. Although remittances represent a very tangible link within this subject-matter, this chapter goes beyond remittances. Through a comparison of transnationalism within the first and the second generation of the Keralite diaspora in Switzerland, this article aims to figure future diaspora engagement policies. The recognition of the second generation’s double belonging is the breeding ground for effective diaspora engagement policies. However, the diaspora members in Switzerland have indicated political obstacles for an effective diaspora engagement in Kerala. By creating an enabling environment for diaspora engagement, the state of Kerala can harness and allocate the resources of its diaspora in a more effective way.

Remittances are sent and received to maintain family livelihoods, to cover the education costs of younger members, to provide care services for ageing family members, to support business ventures, etc. Although a growing body of literature assesses the role of remittances in the migration-development nexus, past studies have rarely focused on time-sensitive dimensions such as family life-cycles and life-course stages. In addition, a dynamic analysis of social stratification based on gender, age, citizenship status and class within and between these families serves to enrich a transnational perspective on remittances. Life-course perspectives represent a suitable framework for tracing money circulation across multiple national settings and dynamic processes of social stratification. Beyond the common image of remittances being sent from host to home countries, Peruvians in Switzerland also receive money from their home country.

Health vulnerabilities of undocumented central and eastern European migrants in Switzerland.

One of the important aspects of a country's economic development is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), these investments impact on economic development and improve social aspects. At the international level as well as at the country level, FDI has a relevant significance which as an issue is related to the sustainable management policy that makes the country more attractive in absorbing FDI. The purpose of this paper is to present the trends of FDI in the Western Balkan countries with an open look in Kosovo and their comparison, investment policy management, GDP FDI correlation and comparison of the trends of the remittances .Firstly in the introduction of this paper there is a theoretical review of the literature on the definitions of FDI in the economic aspect. Secondly, FDI has been presented and compared over the years in the Western Balkans countries with a vacant look in Kosovo. Third, it analyzes the FDI trends in Kosovo based on the country of origin of these investments, etc. Fourth, in the framework of this research paper, country-level management policies were analyzed in terms of creating an incentive environment for FDI. Fifth, as part of this paperwork, there are also empirical analysis of the correlations between FDI and GDP in the case of Kosovo, etc.
 
 Keywords:
 One of the important aspects of a country's economic development is Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), these investments impact on economic development and improve social aspects. At the international level as well as at the country level, FDI has a relevant significance which as an issue is related to the sustainable management policy that makes the country more attractive in absorbing FDI. The purpose of this paper is to present the trends of FDI in the Western Balkan countries with an open look in Kosovo and their comparison, investment policy management, GDP FDI correlation and comparison of the trends of the remittances .Firstly in the introduction of this paper there is a theoretical review of the literature on the definitions of FDI in the economic aspect. Secondly, FDI has been presented and compared over the years in the Western Balkans countries with a vacant look in Kosovo. Third, it analyzes the FDI trends in Kosovo based on the country of origin of these investments, etc. Fourth, in the framework of this research paper, country-level management policies were analyzed in terms of creating an incentive environment for FDI. Fifth, as part of this paperwork, there are also empirical analysis of the correlations between FDI and GDP in the case of Kosovo, etc.
 
 Keywords: Foreign Direct Investment, Investment Policy Management, Correlations, Remittances
 
 JEL classification: F21, M12, C33, F24
 
 JEL classification: F21, M12, C33, F24

During the last fifteen years, significant SME sector was established in Kosovo. A greater dynamic regarding to the registration of new businesses can be encountered in the first three years of 1990’s and in the postwar period that can be considered as reflection of the changing business environment in the respective periods. Private enterprises in Kosovo are established since 1989. But the intensity of registration of SMEs grew separately after 1990 and continued until 1995.At this time companies were mainly organized in the form of households, the crafts, commercial enterprises, small shops, restaurants and agricultural enterprises.The establishment of these enterprises has not been the result of enabling business environment, but it came from the need to create jobs to people whose jobs were terminated form the social enterprises. In Kosovo during the last decade, a valuavle experience was achieved by increasing and development of of private enterprises, small and medium enterprises. Despite the achieved success, private enterprises constantly complain about the difficulties that they encounter when developing their business activities but as an example in Kosovo’s SME we do stil face with higher interest rates when taking loans.Likewise, these private enterprises in the country are still not well enough stimulated due to application of overwhelmed laws. Therefore it is needed a new inventory of legislative developments, but also should be requested the evaluation for the implementation of new legislation.This paper aims to reflect the role of small and medium enterprises in the post war Kosovo in economic development, increase of employment and alleviate poverty, obstacles that they encounter during their establishment and development which affect barrier not to develop entrepreneurship development innovation skills, etc, also some advantages that they assist their funcioning…

The article presents a study of theoretical, methodological, and applied approaches to the engagement of international technical assistance (ITA) in post-conflict recovery processes, with a particular focus on its potential application in the reconstruction of de-occupied territories in Ukraine. The paper substantiates the necessity of integrating ITA into the national framework for reconstruction, reintegration, and stabilization under the conditions of martial law and systemic transformation. ITA is conceptualized as a strategic resource that encompasses financial, technical, expert, and institutional support from international donors aimed at the implementation of long-term sustainable development programs. The article provides a structural analysis of the forms of international technical assistance, the mechanisms of its provision, and institutional coordination, particularly in the context of cooperation between governments, intergovernmental organizations, financial institutions, and civil society actors. Key criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of ITA are outlined, along with methods of monitoring, auditing, and risk management. Special attention is paid to transparency and accountability issues in the implementation of technical support projects in countries with post-conflict status. Within the empirical component of the research, international experience in post-conflict recovery and reintegration is examined using the cases of Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, and Croatia. A comparative analysis of ITA models in these states is carried out, highlighting institutional successes, shortcomings, and adaptable practices relevant to the Ukrainian context. The article emphasizes the importance of leveraging such experience not only for infrastructural reconstruction but also for strengthening public administration, security, the rule of law, and public trust in the reintegration of de-occupied areas. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the systematic generalization and critical rethinking of foreign experience in international technical assistance within post-conflict recovery, assessed through the lens of its applicability to modern Ukraine. For the first time, a comparative analysis is conducted of ITA models in countries with varying degrees of de-occupation (full, partial, absent), enabling the development of a typology of approaches to stabilization, reintegration, and institutional recovery of liberated territories. Thus, we can observe in the article the following. Subject of the study. This research addresses the conceptual and institutional foundations of international technical assistance (ITA) within the context of post-conflict recovery. It focuses on identifying and analysing mechanisms for the application of ITA in the processes of reconstruction, reintegration, and stabilization of de-occupied territories, with particular emphasis on the Ukrainian case. Methodology. The methodological framework of the study combines comparative analysis, institutional diagnostics, and the examination of selected international case studies. The empirical component relies on the analysis of post-conflict recovery practices in Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, and Croatia. The study applies qualitative content analysis and institutional comparison, supported by an assessment of aid effectiveness, monitoring instruments, and governance models. Purpose of the Study. The purpose of this research is to critically examine the role of international technical assistance in post-conflict settings and to assess the relevance of global experience to the Ukrainian context. The study aims to propose an analytical framework for integrating ITA into national recovery policy, with particular attention to its potential for enhancing institutional resilience and promoting sustainable reintegration. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that international technical assistance can function as a key component in the recovery and stabilization of territories affected by conflict, provided it is coherently embedded in national strategic planning. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of ITA depends on the alignment between donor approaches and local needs, institutional capacity, and mechanisms of coordination. Based on the comparative analysis, the research develops a typology of ITA application in countries with differing post-conflict trajectories, offering applicable insights for the reconstruction of Ukraine’s de-occupied areas.