Diaspora Contributions Research Articles

“Beyond Remittancing”: An investigation of the role of ICTs in facilitating and extending the diaspora's contribution to the Caribbean

The diaspora has been recognised as having contributed to the Caribbean and Latin America in the areas of tourism, transportation, telecommunications, trade and the transmission of monetary remittances. However, among the least considered areas is telecommunications and more generally ICTs, even while it has been accepted that important gains can be secured from increasing diasporic involvement in this area. This article aims to begin the discussion in this area focusing on the experiences of the Caribbean diaspora through the notion of telecommunications-mediated diasporic engagement (TMDE), as a means of assessing the ways in which telecoms can help to facilitate and advance the diaspora's relationship with the region. It is shown that the main form of engagement has been social communication, though there is more recent evidence of diversification in TMDE. This is demonstrated in the use of telecoms in disaster response, in facilitating participation in national governance and in the growing investments, services and knowledge networks that are emerging with telecommunications featuring as a means and an end. Nevertheless, opportunities for TMDE remain largely untapped given a number of challenges. Alors que la circulation migratoire qui définit les réalités transnationales des Dominicains aux États-Unis est bien décrite, l'intérêt pour une cartographie des opportunités stratégiques associées à des pratiques transnationales spécifiques, comme le tourisme diasporique, est moindre. Cette étude examine les opportunités et les contraintes liées au tourisme diasporique en République Dominicaine. Elle situe son analyse par rapport à l'arrière-plan contextuel, au sens le plus large, que représentent l’établissement d'une enclave diasporique à New-York et les liens multiples que les Dominicains ont avec leur mère patrie, avant de procéder à l'analyse du secteur touristique en République Dominicaine. De même que celui des Dominicains résidant à l’étranger, le nombre des voyageurs dominicains augmente, parmi lesquels ceux qui reviennent dans leur pays d'origine pour y faire du tourisme. Bien que la littérature existante et mes propres travaux de recherche semblent indiquer que de nombreux Dominicains de la première génération ont cherché à investir leurs revenus obtenus aux USA dans une gamme de micro-entreprises sises dans la mère patrie, ou dans le soutien financier à des membres de leur famille élargie; leurs descendants de la deuxième et de la troisième générations ne ressentent pas cette obligation vis-à-vis de leur pays d'origine. Cependant, d'un point de vue ethnique et culturel, ces derniers s'identifient à la République Dominicaine et y retournent plus que leurs aînés pour y faire du tourisme. Plus leur nombre et leur capital social augmentent, plus la réserve de touristes potentiels qu'ils représentent augmente elle aussi, d'où la nécessité de lancer des initiatives politiques pouvant faciliter la croissance de cet important secteur de niche.

Diasporas and Development: Perspectives on Definitions and Contributions

The paper addresses an important aspect of the current migration and development debate - the role of diasporas and transnational communities as contributors to the development of their origin countries. He shows that diaspora definitions, estimates of diaspora numbers and conceptualising their contributions are very much inter-related. In the first section, the author reviews different definitions of diasporas and transnational communities. He then provides some statistical information and estimates available on diaspora communities in different regions of the world with some discussion of their profiles. The diversity of the diaspora is examined in terms of age and skill profiles, length of stay in host societies, status of stay (documented and undocumented) and return patterns. In the next section, the author examines the nature and diversity of diaspora contributions to development. Globalization trends and advances in internet and communications technology and travel and transport have led to many options in transnational engagements. At the same, the increasing attention on promoting migration and development linkages has focussed on the role of the diaspora as a major area of intervention. The author argues that betting on the intellectual or the skilled diaspora alone as common in most discussions could be misleading, and may provide wrong signals for policy interventions. There is substantive evidence that all categories of the diaspora including low skilled diaspora make important contributions to home countries, and this diversity of contributions needs to be given due recognition in diaspora engagement policies.The author concludes by highlighting a number of directions for further research: better information on diaspora profiles and their transnational engagements; role of women in diaspora communities and their engagement with home countries; transnational practices that embrace both source and destination countries; extent of integration of the diasporas in host societies, and the impact of such integration and protection of rights on their contributions; role of migrant organisations, both formal and informal; and analysis of current policies followed by particularly countries of origin for engaging their diaspora communities.

Diasporas and conflict societies: conflict entrepreneurs, competing interests or contributors to stability and development?

This paper summarises our state of knowledge regarding diaspora engagement in conflict socieities. It presents a map of possible diaspora contributions and their specific potential positive and negative impacts in societies experiencing or recovering from conflict. Following a discussion of diasporas and their motivations for engagement in their places of origin, the paper reviews the specific remittance, philanthropy, human capital and policy influence contributions, both positive and negative, that diasporas may make. Policy implications include the need more systematically to include considerations of diasporas in conflict/post-conflict interventions, and based on a more careful case-by-case analysis, using the provided map as a starting point. Such analyses can inform decisions of when to tolerate, unencumbered, diaspora engagement; when to facilitate or support such engagement; and when to consider strategic partnering with diaspora efforts. By mapping potential positive and negative influences of diasporas, the paper establishes why a more nuanced understanding of diasporas and peace and conflict is so important to policy and practice for a more peaceful world.

Skilled Egyptian diaspora contributions to Egypt

PurposeThe study aims to learn of the contributions of the skilled Egyptian diaspora to the development of Egypt; to understand how these contributions differ according to their characteristics; and to discover obstacles and incentives to these contributions in the areas of investment, entrepreneurship, and return migration.Design/methodology/approachA total of 384 skilled Egyptian diasporans were surveyed online using a snowball sampling technique. Data were analyzed through frequency analyses, crosstabulations, and chi‐square statistics.FindingsThe skilled Egyptian diaspora did make some contributions to Egypt; especially in technology transfer, entrepreneurship, return migration, remittances, and charity. However, their potential is not fully utilized. Contributions of the diaspora differed according to their age, industry, and prior work in Egypt. Government bureaucracy, unfair competition, and lack of innovation acted as obstacles to diaspora engagement, while the attractiveness of the Egyptian market, availability of labor, and the Egyptian culture acted as incentives.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of a non‐probability sample poses challenges to the generalizability of the results. The use of questionnaires meant that more in‐depth analysis was not possible to obtain.Practical implicationsGovernment reform, market stimulation, and better outreach programs are needed for further diaspora mobilization.Originality/valueNot enough research has been conducted to gauge the effect of the diaspora in Egypt even though they represent an important development opportunity for the country.

Diaspora's Contribution to Armenia's Economic Development: What Drives the First Movers and How Their Efforts Could Be Scaled Up?

The large Armenian Diaspora, widely dispersed throughout the 5 continents, had successfully preserved the nation's independence aspirations across generations born far from the homeland. This nationalistic tradition along with a strong sense of Pan-Armenian solidarity helped to mobilize an unprecedented amount of Diaspora support to the newly constituted state. Over more than a decade, the Armenian Diaspora excelled in generating international political support for Armenia, in the development, funding, and implementation of humanitarian aid programs, as well as in mobilizing private transfers to the Armenian population. There has been a broad consensus that the Diaspora is an invaluable and fundamental resource for the economic, social and political development of Armenia. At the same time, it is accepted that there is a considerable gap between the massive humanitarian contribution of the Diaspora and its much more modest participation in Armenia's economic life (Freinkman 2001, Samuelian et al. 2003, Manasaryan 2004). In short, the Diaspora's contribution to Armenia's long-term development agenda is considered to be much below its potential. This includes the low level of Diaspora investments and business participation, as well as the limited role of the Diaspora's organizations in the ongoing debate on Armenian development policies.

Diaspora Philanthropy in an At-Risk Society: The Case of Coptic Orphans in Egypt

This article seeks to answer two questions: How can the potential gains from diaspora philanthropy be extended beyond individual households and sustained beyond one generation? And how can these gains be mobilized for poverty alleviation, justice, and development, especially in at-risk countries? Following reviews of potential diaspora contributions and the parameters of at-risk societies, the case of Coptic Orphans is presented. Coptic Orphans provides a model for channeling remittances to meet the subsistence and development needs of the poorest of the poor and sustaining these contributions beyond the first generation. It illustrates how diaspora organizations can effectively navigate the social and legal challenges of operating in an at-risk society. Finally, it suggests that diaspora organizations may increasingly overcome voluntary failures to become a significant sector in the international development arena.

Harnessing Knowledge Exchange Among Overseas Professionals of Afghanistan, People's Republic of China, and Philippines

Developing country governments and international donors are taking notice of diasporas' potential contributions to economic development. Attention has primarily focused on financial remittances, which are estimated to outpace official development assistance. Yet overseas professionals can also benefit their home countries through social remittances and knowledge exchange. This paper reviews such diaspora contributions, and government policies and programs to support them, in three case studies of China, the Philippines, and Afghanistan. The cases provide empirical and anecdotal data relating to skills exchange/transfer, its potential relationship to financial remittances, diaspora motivations, and home country policies and programs. The potential for diaspora knowledge exchange suggests greater opportunities for gain than may be currently recognized and realized.