Rethinking the role of Diaspora organizations : Diaspora organizations’ contribution to the development and migration policies

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2014-05
Language
en
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Diaspora organizations contributions to migration and development issues are increasingly in the picture over the last years. Much is written about the migrants double engagement with both the country of origin as with the country of residence. This transnationalism is among other operationalized through good communication and transport networks. However, it seems that involvement of these organizations with other actors is minimal or lacking altogether. This can partly be explained due to lack of knowledge about the ways Diaspora organizations can contribute to realizing development goals. In most cases the potential role of Diaspora organizations is limited to giving general recommendation or is focused upon the economic aspect of development only. Because of that this research focused upon extracting specific examples of how Diaspora organizations are active in the field of migration and development, with whom they co-operate or why co-operation with other actors can be important to improve the migration and development field. In addition, the issue whether there is a ground for co-operation is discussed, in particular how this co-operation looks like at the moment and what should be improved to make use of it in its full potential. The central goal of this research was to specify the role of Diaspora organizations in this policy field, foremost by highlighting some key issues within this debate. These were; 1. Elaborating the actual knowledge and skills that migrants and Diaspora organizations possess both focused on host and home society 2. Emphasising the importance of including these skills more within the policy debate in the Netherlands. 3. Why it is difficult to incorporate these skills into broader migration and development policies. Because of these objectives this research deals with the following research question: “Are Diaspora organizations due to their transnational engagement and knowledge important partners within the policy debate around migration and development focused both upon the Netherlands as on countries in the Global South?”
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen