Political Geography: Europe / Topic: Diaspora

Author:: Mohamed Aden Hassan and Giulia Liberatore
Publication Date:: 01-2015
Content Type:: Journal Article
Journal:: Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies
Institution:: Macalester College
Abstract:: In May 2013 Barclays Bank in the UK announced it was shutting down the accounts of four Somali Money Service Businesses (MSBs) includ- ing Dahabshiil, the largest remittance company operating in the Somali regions. Following international uproar, and a Somali diaspora-led grassroots campaign, the UK government took on the task of setting up an Action Group on Cross Border Remittances and a Somali-UK Safer Corridor Pilot Project with the aim of finding a durable solution to the problem. Two years later, however, the Safer Corridor Project has collapsed. Legal remittance flows persist, albeit in a fragile and precarious environment. This paper provides a brief update on the Safer Corridor Initiative, its challenges, and how the money transfer sector has been adapting to the process.
Topic:: International Cooperation, International Trade and Finance, Diaspora, and Legal Theory
Political Geography:: Africa, United Kingdom, Europe, and Somalia

Author:: Judith Vorrath
Publication Date:: 06-2012
Content Type:: Working Paper
Institution:: European Union Institute for Security Studies
Abstract:: Over the last decade, researchers and policy-makers have paid increasing attention to diasporas. They have focused on diasporas not merely as a challenge, but as a source of largely untapped potential. Their transnational nature and peculiar position as non-state actors linking host and home countries has been identified as an important basis for engagement. Diaspora groups from sub-Saharan Africa in Europe, which according to a 2008 Council of Europe parliamentary report on immigration are roughly estimated to comprise between 3.5 and 8 million people, are not only a relevant force, but often come from homelands that have experienced or are still facing armed conflict. Against this background, this Occasional Paper addresses the question of what contribution diaspora communities can make to promoting peace in their homelands and how the European Union can engage with African diasporas in the field of peace and security.
Topic:: Development, Globalization, Migration, Diaspora, and Immigration
Political Geography:: Africa and Europe

Author:: Nauja Kleist
Publication Date:: 05-2009
Content Type:: Policy Brief
Institution:: Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS)
Abstract:: Diaspora and migrant associations are often praised as new 'agents of change' for their contributions to development in their countries of origin. While much is known about Latin American hometown associations, there has been less focus on African diaspora associations. This DIIS Brief examines Somali and Ghanaian migrant associations in Denmark and their involvement in development. It shows how associations involve themselves on the basis of particular loyalties and emphasizes the importance of local partners and collaboration.
Topic:: Migration, Poverty, and Diaspora
Political Geography:: Africa, Europe, Denmark, and Latin America

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