RTI ppt template

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Diasporas and Development Projects The Case of
the Local Governance Program in Iraq Derick W.
Brinkerhoff and Samuel Taddesse Presentation
at George Washington University Conference on
the Role of Diasporas in Developing the
Homeland June 16, 2006, Washington, DC
RTI International is a trade name of Research
Triangle Institute
3040 Cornwallis Road P.O. Box 12194
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
27709
Phone [phone]
e-mail dbrinkerhoff_at_rti.org staddesse_at_rti.org
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Overview

• Research Questions and Argument
• Study Methodology
• Iraq Before Regime Change and Iraqi Diaspora
• The Iraq Local Governance Program (LGP)
• Diaspora Iraqi Professionals Contributions to
  LGP
• Profiles Motives of Diaspora Iraqi
  Professionals
• Challenges, Caveats, Conclusions.

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Research Questions

• Background
• Diasporas influence foreign policy of the
  host-country regarding their homeland
• Diaspora intervention in the internal affairs of
  their homelands can contribute to state fragility
  and societal conflict.
• Research questions
• How can diasporas contribute positively to
  economic and political development of their
  homeland?
• In the context of post-conflict reconstruction
  efforts, what roles can diaspora members play in
  making those efforts effective?

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Argument

• Recruiting diaspora members for post-conflict
  reconstruction can help address three key
  challenges facing post-conflict intervention
• The need for technical expertise
• The need for language skills, context-specific
  knowledge, and cultural understanding
• The need for speed.

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Study Methodology

• What were DIPs contributions to LGP?
• Personal field observations experience
• Interviews with RTI home-office recruiters
• Survey of former and current LGP DIPs.
• Small sample size (12 DIPs surveyed with 50
  response rate)

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Iraq Before Regime Change

• Dominated by authoritarianism, clientelism
  ethnic politics
• Shadow government operated by ruling party
  elite
• Brutal and oppressive regime, highly centralized
• No political or economic freedoms

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Iraqi Diaspora

• Large numbers of Iraqis live outside of Iraq
• Estimates of numbers vary
• UNHCR One million in neighboring countries, 350K
  in countries outside the region
• IECI-- Four million expatriate voters
• US 2000 Census 90K living in the US
• UK estimates 250K in the UK.

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The Iraq Local Governance Program

• Restoring basic services
• Increasing service-delivery efficiency and
  effectiveness

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The Iraq Local Governance Program

• Building transparent and accountable local
  governance
• Strengthening civil society

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The Iraq Local Governance Program

• Empowering women to participate in politics and
  governance
• Revitalizing local economies

The Al BasrahAl Jumhuriah market before and
after the rehabilitation effort
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The Iraq Local Governance ProgramStaff Deployment
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DIPs Contributions to LGP

• Facilitated the formation of neighborhood,
  subdistrict, district and provincial councils to
  work with the CPA and the military
• Initiated program activities to promote local
  economic development
• Established and strengthened civil society
  organization to interact with local government
  entities
• Promoted the participation of women in the local
  governance structure
• Opened venues for national dialogue and LGPs
  involvement in strengthening intergovernmental
  relations between central and provincial
  governments.

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DIPs Contributions to LGP

• Facilitated the training of local Iraqi staff
  that conducted the Democracy Dialogue events
• Facilitated national regional conferences on
  decentralization and federalism
• Facilitated national and regional conferences on
  local government associations
• Opened the door for the establishment of pilot
  project for decentralized municipal service
  delivery

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Profiles of DIPs

• Ethnic background Arab 90,Kurdish 10
• Religion Muslim Shia 42, Sunni 33, Christian
  25
• Gender Male 66,Female 33
• Previous international development project
  experience 20
• LGP positions (N)
• Civil society specialists (7)
• Engineers (2)
• Public administration specialist/trainer (1)
• Urban planner (1)
• Information technology (1)

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DIPs Motivations

• Desire to participate in building the new Iraq
  (strongest reason)
• Advance their personal career objectives
• Return to the homeland.

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Recruitment

• Advertisement in newspapers and on the web
• Word of mouth
• Supplemental screening by an Iraqi-American
  gatekeeper.

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DIPs and the Challenges of Post-conflict
Reconstruction

• Technical expertise strong technical skills,
  doing with not doing for, built Iraqi
  ownership
• Language, contextual and cultural knowledge very
  important for translating program templates
  into situation-specific strategies and
  interventions.
• Speed local knowledge, personal networks helped
  to gain entrée, avoid mistakes, facilitate rapid
  start-up.

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Caveats

• Importation of aspects of societal divisiveness
  into the reconstruction program
• Rejection and friction regarding diaspora
  returnees
• Fractures and rivalry among the diaspora
• Diversity and tolerance among the diaspora.

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Conclusions

• Confirmation of value-added of diaspora
  professionals to post-conflict reconstruction and
  development projects
• Lack of prior development project experience was
  not a hindrance
• Project managers need to be sensitive to
  potential for friction and rivalries among
  diaspora staff