Engaging Diaspora in Homeland Development : A Case Study of Tajik Diaspora in Russia

Abstract: Policy makers in the global development industry in the past two decades have shown increasing interest in engaging diasporas in homeland development. This research aims to address the gap of searching for better practices of engaging diaspora in homeland development, using the case of Tajik diaspora in Russia. The research objective is to identify the most promising areas to effectively engage Tajik diaspora in Russia in homeland development. The research adheres to abductive logic of enquiry, and uses qualitative data collected through semi-structured interviews conducted remotely with representatives of Tajik diaspora organizations and Tajik diaspora members in three major Russian cities (Moscow, St Petersburg and Yekaterinburg). The study uses structuration theory as a theoretical framework to conceptualize diaspora organizations and their practices. For analysing data, pragmatic, administrative, centralized and decentralised approaches to diaspora engagement in homeland development are used as an analytical framework. The scope of this study is not able to generate representative results, but drawn conclusions provide basis for further research. The combination of the theoretical and analytical framework applied within this study allowed to identify gaps between existing diaspora engagement strategy and the actual capabilities present in the diaspora. This study indicates that the most promising areas for effectively engaging Tajik diaspora in Russia in homeland development is bridging said gaps by institutionalizing existing development practices through a decentralized pragmatic approach. The analysis also argues that diversifying channels of administrative approach to diaspora engagement and scaling down the projects to the local level could maximize effectiveness of diaspora engagement strategy.