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Volume No. 1 Issue No. 82 - Monday June 05, 2006 |
"Tracing the Diaspora's Involvement in the Development of a Nation TheDominican.net Newsdesk
Dominican economist and executive member of the Dominica Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS), Dr. Thomson Fontaine will join other scholars and research-practitioners, to present at a conference on �The Role of Diasporas in Developing the Homeland� sponsored by the George Washington University (GWU) in Washington DC on June 16, 2006.
Fontaine will address the conference on �Tracing the Diaspora�s Involvement in the Development of a Nation � The Case for Dominica.� His research examines the effect of migration on Dominica as well as the tremendous impact on Dominica�s development prospects that the Diaspora have brought to bear. Fontaine argues that the most recent wave of migration has created new opportunities, which if properly managed, can do a great deal to reverse the damaging effects of the �brain drain� and contribute significantly towards the development of Dominica.
Indeed, within the Dominican Diaspora, there has been, in the recent past, a focus on forging new partnerships across the various countries, and a commitment to the noble task of Nation building. Increasingly, Diaspora Dominicans are appreciating their common destiny regardless of geographical location, realizing their potential, and are beginning to understand and appreciate the expanded role that they can play in helping make a difference in their homeland.
Fontaine�s research also represents the first attempt of its kind to record distinct migration patterns from Dominica, systematically estimate the economic impact of remittances on Dominica�s development; and formally link the modern Diaspora�s movement to a reversal of the country�s brain drain.
This conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of contributors to explore the full range of potential Diaspora contributions to economic, social, and political development in their homelands. These includes Manuel Orozco, Research Professor, GWU, Yossi Shain, Head of the Hartog School of Government, Tel Aviv University, Janelle Kerlin, The Urban Institute, Sam Taddesse, Senior Research Scientist, RTI International, Milton Esman, Professor Emeritus, Cornell University, Natasha Iskander, New York University, Liesl Riddle, Valentina Marano, Stephen Lubkemann, Derick Brinkerhoff, and Jennifer Brinkerhoff (all GWU), Kate Gillespie, and Anna Adnriasova, University of Texas at Austin and Clay Wescott, Asia Development Bank.
The presentations at the conference will focus on among other things, the opportunities that migration can offer, as well as challenges, in the search for ways to achieve a more peaceful world. Indeed, Governments, international organizations, and donors increasingly recognize diasporas as important actors in peace and conflict and development, but policymakers have few, if any, guidelines or formal policies on how best to incorporate diasporas into peace and development strategies. This lack of understanding is likely to hamper policymakers� ability to tap this critical resource.
Following the conference, the research papers will be published in a book volume and made available to the public.
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