Diasporas and Development

290 Pages·2007·1.61 MB·English

StudieS in Global equity
Diasporas
and
Development

StudieS in Global equity
Diasporas
and
Development
Editors
BarBara J. MErz
LincoLn c. chEn
PEtEr F. GEithnEr
PuBLishEd By
GLoBaL Equity initiativE
asia cEntEr
harvard univErsity
distriButEd By harvard univErsity PrEss
caMBridGE, MassachusEtts, and London, EnGLand 2007
© Copyright 2007. The President and Fellows of Harvard College.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Diaspora Philanthropy and Equitable Development Conference
(2006 : Harvard University)
Diasporas and development / editors Barbara J. Merz, Lincoln C.
Chen, Peter F. Geithner.
p. cm. -- (Studies in global equity)
The chapters in this volume were presented at the Diaspora
Philanthropy and Equitable Development Conference organized
by the Harvard Global Equity Initiative in May 2006. Contributors
highlight diaspora activity in Africa, Asia, Central America, and the
Caribbean
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-674-02455-7
ISBN-10: 0-674-02455-9
1. Emigrant remittances--Developing countries--Congresses. 2.
Labor mobility--Developing countries--Congresses. 3. Equality--De-
veloping countries--Congresses. 4. Economic growth--Congresses.
5. Emigration and immigration--Economic aspects--Developing
countries--Congresses. I. Merz, Barbara J. (Barbara Jean), 1974– II.
Chen, Lincoln C. III. Geithner, Peter F. IV. Harvard University. Global
Equity Initiative. V. Title.
HG3877.D5 2007
338.9009172’4--dc22
2006102558
Cover design by Jill Feron/FeronDesign, South Hamilton, MA.
Interior text design by Oona Patrick.
Contents
Preface vii
ConferenceParticipants xi
Contributors xv
Chapter1
Overview: Diasporas and Development
Barbara J. Merz, Lincoln C. Chen, Peter F. Geithner,
and Colleen Gross Ebinger 1
Chapter2
Focusing on the State: Government Responses to Diaspora
Giving and Implications for Equity
Mark Sidel 25
Chapter3
What Can Remittances and Other Migrant Flows Do for
Equitable Development?
David de Ferranti and Anthony J. Ody 55
Chapter4
The Janus Face of Diasporas
Devesh Kapur 89
Chapter5
Diaspora Philanthropy to Asia
Adil Najam 119
Chapter6
African Diasporas
Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome 151
vi Contents
Chapter7
Diaspora Engagement in the Caribbean
Barbara J. Merz 185
Chapter8
Central American Diasporas and Hometown Associations
Manuel Orozco 215
Index 255
PrefaCe
In our search for a more equitable world, the Global Equity Ini-
tiative pursues scholarship and promotes policies that advance
fairness in health, education, and economic opportunities world-
wide. The programs launched by the Initiative address concrete
aspects of global equity, such as global health, primary educa-
tion, human capabilities, and human security. One cross-cutting
thematic program focuses on global philanthropy and examines
the way private giving can catalyze action for equity.
In exploring the terrain of global philanthropy, the program
increasingly became aware of the dynamism of diaspora commu-
nities in contributing to equitable development of their countries
of origin. Thus, the program initially commissioned a series of
papers on diaspora giving of the Chinese and Indian diaspora
that eventually culminated in a conference and an edited volume.
This Asian work was subsequently buttressed with studies of
diaspora philanthropy in other regions—Mexico, the Caribbean,
and Pakistan.1
By bringing together a series of papers on key issues and
regional patterns of diaspora philanthropy around the world,
this volume is a natural culmination of these earlier efforts.
1. Diaspora Philanthropy and Equitable Development in China and India, edited by
Lincoln Chen, Peter Geithner, and Paula Johnson (2005); New Patterns for Mexico:
Observations on Remittances, Philanthropic Giving, and Equitable Development, ed-
ited by Barbara J. Merz (2006); and Portrait of a Giving Community: Philanthropy
by the Pakistani-American Diaspora by Adil Najam (2006).
vii
viii Preface
Indeed, our aspiration is to provide, for the first time, a truly
global perspective on the diversity, richness, and issues associ-
ated with what is clearly a growing philanthropic phenomenon
in our globalizing world.
The papers together provide a special lens on the implica-
tions of diaspora philanthropy for equitable development. While
diaspora giving is an important subset of global giving, it carries
distinctive dimensions, especially the non-financial impacts of
diaspora relationships with their home societies. This volume
aimed to bring together diverse national patterns of diaspora
giving to provide information for a more informed public dia-
logue on questions such as: How can the equity impact of this
global giving be maximized? Might creative intermediary mecha-
nisms or public policies help channel diaspora philanthropy in
positive directions? What can be done to promote trust in these
mechanisms and to improve their transparency, accountability,
and performance? Diasporas and Development aims to deepen the
understanding of the promise and pitfalls of diaspora engage-
ment in their countries of origin and how this activity might help
bridge the distances between societies in an unequal world.
The chapters in this volume were presented in a conference
organized by the Harvard Global Equity Initiative in May 2006
(see participant list). The conference benefited from the enormous
diversity of the over forty participants coming from major geo-
graphic regions with backgrounds in academia, policymaking,
and philanthropic practice. The participants raised a number
of significant questions about how to consider various forms of
diaspora engagement and whether diasporas have an impact on
equitable development in sending and receiving communities.
These discussions have been further explored and expanded by
the contributors to this volume.
We are grateful to the authors who joined us in this volume
and shared their knowledge and talents. In addition, we would
like to thank those who provided guidance to the Global Equity
Preface ix
Initiative’s Philanthropy Program on this project, including Ak-
wasi Aidoo, Barry Gaberman, Natalia Kanem, Sal LaSpada, and
Adele Simmons. We are also deeply indebted to our present and
past colleagues at Harvard who have provided intellectual fellow-
ship: Sudhir Anand, Sabina Alkire, Alex de Waal, Christina Doyle,
Colleen Gross Ebinger, John Hammock, Piya Hanvoravongchai,
Paula Johnson, Erin Judge, Peggy Levitt, Tony Saich, and Cynthia
Sanborn. We would also like to thank Iris Tuomenoksa, Ginger
Tanton, and Brian Na for helping to organize the conference,
and we offer special thanks to Oona Patrick, who managed the
copyediting and publication of this volume.
The Global Equity Initiative is grateful to sponsors of this
work: the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller
Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Canadian International
Development Agency.
We have been privileged to work with so many dedicated
scholars and practitioners to proactively address issues related
to equitable development. We hope that this volume will be of
use to those many new and inspired voices who will continue
to carry this work forward.
BarBara J. MErz
LincoLn c. chEn
PEtEr F. GEithnEr
Cambridge, Mass.
October 2006