Global Diasporas and Development (PDF)

Sadananda Sahoo is a sociologist, at present an Assistant Professor at the School of Inter-disciplinary and Trans-disciplinary Studies (SOITS), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. His PhD at the Central University of Hyderabad was on the role and contribution of diasporas to home country development, especially in the healthcare sector. It provided him with significant insights into the dynamics of diasporic engagement. Before joining IGNOU he worked with the Institute of Applied Manpower Research (IAMR), a Planning Commission think-tank for the Government of India. At IAMR, he completed several international projects on education, agriculture and employment. Dr. Sahoo has more than 20 publications and reviews on diaspora and ethnic studies, international migration, public policy, and rural development, among others. Besides, he has also co-edited a book on diasporas, development and education. He is the Founder Convener of the Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism (GRFDT), based in New Delhi, India. He teaches and supervises students on issues of media, culture, development, public policy and the global diaspora. Email: ssahoo@ignou.ac.in B.K. Pattanaik is a developmental economist and at present Director of the School of Extension and Development Studies (SOEDS), IGNOU, New Delhi. In the past twenty years, he has completed a number research studies, policy evaluations and consulting projects for global agencies like the UNDP, the UNICEF, Ford Foundation, USAID and the European Commission. In addition, he continues to work as a policy expert for several departments at the Government of India on issues of education, health and socio-economic development. He regularly contributes to policymaking as a member of working and drafting committees under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Planning Commission, Government of India. Professor Pattanaik has published seven books and more than 100

A very useful addition in the field of diaspora studies, which is an extremely important emerging discipline.



- J. C. Sharma, Former Member Secretary, High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora



… This thought-provoking book addresses the correlation between development and global diasporas from an interdisciplinary perspective. It has the merit of looking in-depth into systematic and prospective contributions by diasporas to the development in their home countries, including profound impact on poverty reduction.… [T]he book is a leap forward in the comprehension of socio-economic, cultural and policy dimensions of global diasporas….

Dr. Armen Baibourtian, Senior Adviser, United Nations, Armenia

… This book is an excellent attempt – a creative brainstorm of fresh ideas and visions – to provide well-embedded case studies and theoretical new insights.… In this well-edited and ambitious volume, the authors focus on diasporas being the human face of the globalization process. The book is a must read for students, scholars and policy makers in the field of diasporas and development.



- Prof. GijsbertOonk, Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Rotterdam, Netherlands; author ofSettled Strangers. Asian Business Elites in East Africa, 1800-2000





… This book links the economic, social and cultural aspects of diasporas in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and the Caribbean. In bringing these themes together for the varied diasporas, it gives a comparative picture across perspectives, regions and histories. It also usefully connects this discussion to policy directions regarding the use of knowledge networks, transfer of skills and the flow of remittances.


- Prof. Supriya Singh, Sociology of Communications, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia





This book is an invaluable contribution to the growing literature on global