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Comparing and Theorizing State-Diaspora Relations | Political Geography | 2014
Political Geography, 2014
This article reviews, synthesizes, and extends the theoretical underpinnings of existing research on state-diaspora relations, highlighting the fragmented, case-study oriented and a-theoretical nature of most existing work in this area, emphasizing the need to compare and theorize state-diaspora relations and suggesting topics and methods through which this can be done. First we describe the range of phenomena under examination and review the various strands of literature informing this area of research. From there we discuss the contribution of this special section of Political Geography and point the way towards a future research agenda that includes a comparative dimension, employs quantitative and qualitative methods, and engages theoretical debates in relation to policy diffusion, governance and norm formation.
2020
Since the early 2000s, diaspora members have been framed as ‘agents of development’ in international development thinking and courted by a vast array of actors who aim to capitalize on their remittances, skills and knowledge. Among those actors, the Ethiopian state has been particularly active in devising diaspora engagement policies, especially since Prime minister Abiy Ahmed’s election in April 2018. This thesis examines the ways in which Abiy’s intensified attempts to reach out to the global diaspora are indicative of a shift in the state’s approach to development and in the relationship between the Ethiopian state and its citizens. It explores the intricate relationship between identity and politics in Ethiopia as well as the articulation of diaspora policies with questions of belonging, state- and nationhood, neoliberalism, state-population relationships and globalisation. The thesis argues, on the one hand, that the Ethiopian government’s attempts at engaging the diaspora in development are inscribed into neoliberal policies and modes of governance in which the responsibility for development is increasingly individualized and depoliticized. Relying on interviews conducted with members of the Ethiopian diaspora in Switzerland, the thesis also argues that, on the other hand, diaspora policies offer to emigrants the possibility to bring their concerns into the state and to influence state development policies, hence acknowledging that they have an agency which tends to be ignored in the literature.
Gamlen, A. & Delano, A. 2014 Comparing and Theorizing State-Diaspora Relations, Political Geography
Political Geography, 2014
This article reviews, synthesizes, and extends the theoretical underpinnings of existing research on state-diaspora relations, highlighting the fragmented, case-study oriented and a-theoretical nature of most existing work in this area, emphasizing the need to compare and theorize state-diaspora relations and suggesting topics and methods through which this can be done. First we describe the range of phenomena under examination and review the various strands of literature informing this area of research. From there we discuss the contribution of this special section of Political Geography and point the way towards a future research agenda that includes a comparative dimension, employs quantitative and qualitative methods, and engages theoretical debates in relation to policy diffusion, governance and norm formation.
Delano, A. & Gamlen, A. 2014 Comparing and Theorizing State Diaspora Relations, Political Geography
Political Geography , 2014
This article reviews, synthesizes, and extends the theoretical underpinnings of existing research on state-diaspora relations, highlighting the fragmented, case-study oriented and a-theoretical nature of most existing work in this area, emphasizing the need to compare and theorize state-diaspora relations and suggesting topics and methods through which this can be done. First we describe the range of phenomena under examination and review the various strands of literature informing this area of research. From there we discuss the contribution of this special section of Political Geography and point the way towards a future research agenda that includes a comparative dimension, employs quantitative and qualitative methods, and engages theoretical debates in relation to policy diffusion, governance and norm formation.
Migrant-sending countries are increasingly exploring schemes where the human capital of expatriates can be used for the benefit of the home country’s socioeconomic development. This paper focuses on the mechanisms of emigration management and problematizes government involvement in diaspora engagement. By exploring two cases of diaspora engagement policies, those of India and of Ethiopia, the paper questions the success of government mechanisms, establishing the conditions under which these mechanisms lead to political and economic benefit from the diaspora. Although countries differ immensely in various aspects, Ethiopia modelled its diaspora policy after the case of India, which provides us with a good case for establishing the necessary conditions. Both countries see diaspora as a key resource in economic development of respective countries and have therefore invested significant resources into developing institutions and policies to engage diaspora. Nevertheless, there are some ...
Models of interaction between the state of origin and the diaspora
Eastern European Journal for Regional Studies
The impact of the diaspora on the development of the state of origin is a topic that appeared relatively recently in the areas of interest and on the public agendas of the states. Currently, throughout the world, the diaspora represents an active force, involved in almost all areas of activity of a society, which tends to develop and maintain multilateral ties with political, social and cultural institutions in the country of origin or destination. Since the 1990s, more and more states have launched various initiatives at the governmental level in order to attract the development potential of the diaspora. However, often factors such as the availability of institutional means, available time, the needs, desires and capacities of diaspora members to engage in such activities, reduce the panoply of viable options regarding the state's implementation of diaspora-related development objectives. The given article aims to summarize the ways of interaction of the states of origin with ...
Diaspora and Development in a Fragile State
Journal of Somali Studies, 2014
War and its aftermath are often considered negative, particularly for the most vulnerable group of society – women, children and the elderly. But conflict, because of its disruptive nature, can provide opportunities to restructure social norms and institutions and perhaps lead to a society that is more egalitarian and democratic. But these gains can be lost again after the conflict ends or as part of the conflict resolution process. Thus, cementing gains made during the war is critically important in ensuring that these rights are not lost. In the case of Somalia, the long civil war, that is yet to conclude, has provided spaces for women to inhabit that were previously unavailable to them. It has also created realities on the ground that cannot be disputed, namely that Somali women have sought to keep their families and communities together in any way that they can. That Somali women have taken on this immense responsibility is not new. Whether it was fighting for independence from European colonisers or promoting the development of Somalia, Somali women have taken a positive and active role in advancing their country. Often, these contributions have been ignored, but during the past twenty years, denying women’s contributions is no longer possible. This chapter seeks to explore one aspect of the larger role played by Somali women, specifically diaspora women’s activities through nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). In examining this, I hope to highlight their role in the provision of social services, and their promotion of peace-making and peace-building, and human rights, and state reconstruction from below. In a way, diaspora women are delivering services that were provided by the Somali state. This chapter seeks to address that research gap – by focusing on the role of returned diaspora women to Puntland and Somaliland in the social, economic and political spheres, and their impact on home. I argue that these returned diaspora women alter and challenge traditional norms and practices that are harmful to women and that marginalize their political, economic and social progress. Often, cultural or religious beliefs and practices are asserted in refusing women’s entrance into the political space, including their involvement in politics.
Introduction: Agents of Change? Staging and Governing Diasporas and the African State
African Studies, 2013
During the last decade, African diasporas have emerged as agents of change in international development thinking. Diasporas are being courted by donors, sending states, and NGOs for their contributions to development in their countries of origin; praised for their remittances, investments and knowledge transfer. This Introduction seeks to scrutinise critically these processes, examining issues of governance and categorisation in relation to African states and diasporas. We explore the theoretical and political implications of the emergence of diasporas in relation to questions of hybridity, state responses, neoliberalism, depoliticisation, and mistrust. We thereby aim to establish an analytical framework that focuses on how various actors stage, govern, and seek to instrumentalise so-called diaspora involvement. Two central questions arise: Are we witnessing an anti-politics machine in the sense of making development a matter of how to involve diasporas and build their human and organisational capacities? Or are there means by which diasporas may re-politicise development issues in the home country?