The Mobility of Diasporas

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The Mobility of Diasporas

• Ton van Naerssen (Radboud University Nijmegen)
• Presentation at the Globility/IGU Commission
  International Conference on Transnational
  processes and Crossing Places New Forms of
  International Mobility, Gran Canaria, June 19-21,
  2009.

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Defining the Topic

• Diasporas migrant communities
• transnational communities
• Mobility transfer of resources by
• way of networks, (whether
  human, financial or otherwise)

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1. Migration and Family Remittances

• 1995-2005 increase
• Global migrants 26 million
• Remittances 58 to 167 billion US

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Effect of migration remittances flows
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Family remittances Indonesia
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Destination documented labour migrants

• Overseas Contract Workers (Documented)
• Kuwait 1,200,000
• Malaysia 1,700,000
• Hong Kong 102,100
• Taiwan 100,000
• USA (L.A.) 100,000
• Total 3,353,861
• Source Hugo 2008

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Origin documented labour migrants(source Hugo
2008)
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Undocumented migrants

• East Asia but especially Malaysia
• (estimated one million in Malaysia)
• All islands but especially Sumatera

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Impact

• Potential for poverty alleviation in origin
  regions.
• Consumptive and productive investments in health,
  education, agriculture and small business
• Productive investments need structural change at
  local and regional level

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2. Knowledge transfer in India

• Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala Middle East, Skilled
  labour to USA, UK etc.
• Knowledge transfer (Bengalore) by return
  migration (brain gain)
• Need for right investment climate

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Medical knowledge transfer

• IOM temporary return migration (MIDA project
  Ghana)
• Virtual medical community (internet)

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3. Investments and trade China

• Investments in real estates and manufacturing
  industries
• China Factory of the World
• China Bank of America (Building up a huge
  foreign exchange reserve)

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Foreign investors 1979-2005

• Hong Kong 42
• Japan 9
• USA 8
• UK Virgin Islands 7
• Taiwan 7
• Rest (SE Asia) 27
• Total 632 billion US 100

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Southeast China

• Diaspora investments 60 per cent
• National and regional policies Incentives to
  create an investment climate
• Source Leung 2008

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Special Economic Zones, Open Coastal Cities and
Open Economic Regions in China.
Source Leung 2008
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4. Co-development
TCOs and collective remittances for development
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5 Other mobilities

• Tourism
• Marketing brides
• IRM

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Keeping the Global Nation alive

• Family remittances
• Knowledge transfer
• Investments, trade
• Social remittances
• Others

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Migration and Development Nexus

• Transnationalism of diasporas (sustained over
  the generations)
• generates mobility of capital and knowledge
• with a possible impact on mobility of human
  resources
• (topic for a next research)

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References

• Adepoju, A., T. van Naerssen and A. Zoomers
  (eds.)(2007) International Migration and
  National Development in Sub-Saharan Africa..
  Leiden Africa Studies Centre.
• Hugo 2008 and Leung 2008, see next reference
• Van Naerssen, T., E. Spaan and A. Zoomers
  (eds.)(2008) Global Migration and Development.
  New York/London Routledge
• Van der Velde, M. and T. van Naerssen (eds.)
  (2008) Migration in a New Europe People,
  Borders and Trajectories. Rome Home of
  Geography.