Special issue on Diaspora Investment and Entrepreneurship: The Role of People, their Movements, and Capital in the International Economy

A special issue of the Journal of International Management that I helped guest edit was just published: Diaspora Investment and Entrepreneurship: The Role of People, their Movements, and Capital in the International Economy.

From the introduction:

Significant scholarly attention in international business has been paid to cross-border movements of financial capital through foreign direct investment, portfolio investment, and international entrepreneurship. The transnational flows of people and the different types of capital that they possess have received lesser attention. Communication and transportation innovations associated with globalization now enable migrants to stay in contact with and visit their countries of origin more easily and cheaply than ever before. This has given rise to the phenomenon of “diasporas” — groups of emigrants who leave their countries of origin for a prolonged period of time but still demonstrate a strong link with their migration history and a sense of co-ethnicity with others of a similar background.
Diasporans often invest in their home countries through direct and portfolio investments or through the establishment of new ventures in their homelands. Diaspora capital – human, social, and financial – may be a useful development resource for migration-sending countries, many of which are among the most capital needy in the world. With the help of the Chinese diaspora, China has won the race to become the world's factory. In a similar vein, with the help of the Indian diaspora, India could become the world's technology lab. Capital from diaspora investment and entrepreneurship has also played an important role in industrialized countries, such as Israel, Ireland, and Italy, furthering economic growth and innovation.

And here are the main articles:

The Evolving Diaspora of Talent: A Perspective on Trends and Implications for Sourcing Science and Engineering Work, Arie Y. Lewin, Xing Zhong

Embedded Diasporas: Shaping the Geopolitical Landscape, Deborah E. de Lange

Diaspora Concentration and the Venture Investment Impact of Remittances, Paul M. Vaaler

To share or not to share: The role of affect in knowledge sharing by individuals in a diaspora, Helena Barnard, Catherine Pendock

Counterfeit Smuggling: Rethinking Paradigms of Diaspora Investment and Trade Facilitation, Kate Gillespie, J. Brad McBride

The Boundary Spanning Effects of the Muslim Diaspora on the Internationalization Processes of Firms from Organization of Islamic Conference Countries, Andreas Schotter, Dina Abdelzaher