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In the last issue of APPC Post we gave you a sneak peek into our conference on diaspora giving held just this May in Hanoi, Vietnam. Over 100 representatives from 16 countries joined us there, and the seven conference papers from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Vietnam gave us much insight into the current contexts and challenges of diaspora philanthropy in different parts of the region. These next two issues of APPC Post offer back-to-back summaries of key findings gleaned from the conference—this issue discusses diaspora philanthropy in South Asia, while our September issue will focus on findings from other parts of the region. What’s important for us to note is that, while current research on diaspora communities and their philanthropic activities have allowed us to spot opportunities for growth and development, there is still much research and information-mining that needs to be done in the very near future. Each of the country reports communicated a need for more accurate data—or at least more extensive data-gathering—that will enable philanthropy researchers to get a more correct and valid picture of diaspora philanthropy in their own countries. Much work also has to be done by way of policy-framing and networking, and it is our hope that the coming months and years will present new opportunities for researchers, organizations, and governments from different parts of the region to come together and try to understand and benefit from this growing phenomenon that’s powering our economies. This issue of APPC Post also shares some interesting news and tidbits we’ve encountered over the past few weeks. Indeed, all signs point to the fact that diaspora philanthropy will continue to be an economic and social force for years to come. The challenge is: how can we all make the most of it? What do you think? Please let us know. Darwin Chen
Mark Sidel, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Iowa and an eminent author and researcher on philanthropy and the not-for-profit sector, cited achievements in philanthropic research in Asia in Diaspora Giving: An Agent of Change in Asia Pacific Communities?, the conference report of APPC’s May 2008 Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam. Looking at the patterns and trends over the past ten years, he also offered recommendations for addressing research gaps in the region. (Read more)
In his paper for APPC’s Hanoi Conference, Safi Rahman Khan identified several factors that were crucial to the development of diaspora philanthropy in Bangladesh. One was the shifting profile of Bangladeshi migrants—who were once comprised of professionals and skilled workers but who are now largely made up of temporary migrant workers. Another was the very low involvement of diaspora communities in social development in Bangladesh. Khan also cites major hindrances related to the lack of an enabling environment for philanthropy and the country’s unstable political condition. (Read more)
INDIA SUMMARY
PAKISTAN SUMMARY Zubair Bhatti’s conference paper for the APPC Hanoi Conference shows many optimistic signs for the future of strategic philanthropy in Pakistan. Of the estimated six million Pakistanis living outside Pakistan, around 3.9 million sent home a total of US$5.5 billion from 2006 to 2007—through formal banking channels. The Ministry of Labor and Overseas Pakistanis even placed the estimated remittances at some US$8 billion—contributed by around 7 million persons “of Pakistani origin.” (Read more)
Transparency is Everyone's Responsibility At the APPC’s Hanoi Conference in May, where we discussed the role of diaspora philanthropy in development and also looked at directions for enabling a strategic view of philanthropy in the region, it became clear that there will have to be a tri-partite partnership between governments, not-for-profits, and the public, including diaspora communities, in addressing development issues.
Portrait of a Giving Community: Philanthropy by the Pakistani-American Diaspora (Studies in Global Equity)
Enabling Environment for Diaspora Philanthropy
The Art of Philanthropy and the Indian Diaspora |
[39th Edition] Part 1 of Diaspora Giving Conference Summaries
