• Role of the Diaspora

Role of the Diaspora

The study analyses how multilateral organisations and European governments and development agencies have implemented "migrants and development" policies over the past three decades. It focuses specifically on the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France, but also considers Belgium, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Valuable lessons can be drawn from past and current experiences with the implementation of policies to support and to strengthen the engagement of diasporas and their members in the development of countries of origin. The study identifies a number of points of departure for implementing successful policies in this field:

• recognising that migrants are already mobilised for development on their own initiative
• setting realistic expectations through increasing awareness of past experiences and studies that show migration is no panacea for development
• successful alliance building also implies that established development actors should recognise the added value of diaspora organisations and show a serious and long-term commitment through giving them a real say in policy formulation and access to substantial funding
• increasing coherence between development cooperation and migration policies cannot be achieved by subordinating the first policy area to the second. Paradoxically, restrictive immigration policies force migrants into permanent settlement and impede circular movement, with negative consequences for the transnational engagement of diaspora groups
• avoiding double agendas. Diaspora organisations are unlikely to cooperate with development policies whose hidden agenda is to curb migration through development. This is not only an unrealistic aim but it will also almost certainly lead diaspora organisations to shun cooperation with development actors.

This study identifies four broad areas in which development agencies and governments can support and strengthen the engagement of diasporas and their members in the development of countries of origin:

• facilitating and reducing costs of remittances
• supporting migrants to set up small enterprises in countries of origin and facilitating "brain circulation"
• supporting collective development projects initiated or implemented by diaspora organisations and their members
• supporting diaspora networks and capacity building of diaspora organisations along with creating durable alliances with established development actors.

The author concludes that in general, it would be a mistake to assume that diaspora groups and their members should be taught how to "do" development or how best to spend their remittances. Diaspora organisations have survived independently for many years; any attempt to patronise or to state "what is best for them" would appear to be a recipe for failure. The challenge for development actors is not to make diaspora organisations more like them, but to build on their unique strengths.

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