Diaspora @ Westminster (2020)

In partnership with diaspora associations & the Foreign Policy Centre we conducted a mapping analysis of Romanian communities in the UK, the first of its kind. The roundtables brought together policy and decision-makers from both countries in an effort to increase the visibility and impact of diaspora initiatives as a strategic bridge in bilateral relations.

OUR PARTNERSHIPS

OUR RESEARCH & FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS

We partnered with a London-based think tank, the Foreign Policy Centre to conduct and publish our pioneering research on the Romanian diaspora in the United Kingdom. Together with Romanian Women in the UK, a diaspora organization we pooled our know-how resources and successfully applied for government funding in Romania.

Impact

RESEARCH OUTPUT

Is the diaspora a relevant, influential political actor? Is there sufficient political willingness or interest to understand and engage with these communities? How are Romanians appraised and understood by home and host country institutions? If they are, what picture do data and statistics paint, and can they reliably capture realities on the ground? How do Romanian communities associate and why? And what is the impact of diaspora initiatives so far?

This inquiry, Understanding the Romanian Diaspora, is part of a pioneering research initiative being conducted by The Diaspora Initiative and Romanian Women in the UK.

This report is the first of its kind: mapping the Romanian diaspora in the UK, particularly how diaspora associations contribute to, interact with and sometimes challenge both host and home country institutions, whilst also measuring the impact of diaspora initiatives overall. This analysis aims to improve public understanding about the issues faced by the Romanian diaspora, while providing ideas to help inform and inspire policy and decision-making for what has become a strategic constituency for both Romania and the UK. It also aims to encourage a more effective and sustained cooperation between Romanian diaspora organisations, strategically maximising their impact and relevance, while promoting best practice to all institutions and organisations.

The new report builds on the findings of previous FPC briefings: Understanding the Romanian Diaspora, Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: A Strategically Important Networkand Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: Diaspora mobilisation during COVID-19

Our key findings apply to home and host country institutions, as well as the diaspora. How and when should institutions engage the diaspora? In host countries, reliable data on demography and location is paramount for the planning and sound delivery of public services. In the UK for instance, public campaigns become more effective if community outreach uses native languages. When coordinating the 2020 Census the UK Office of National Statistics used information flyers edited in Romanian with the assistance of Romanian community organisations, encouraging people to participate in the Census. Because the Romanian diaspora is one of the largest in the UK public and community services are adapted to reach out to as many people as possible, whether for education, healthcare purposes, work rights, or integration etc.

Homeland institutions ought to be equally in tune with the myriad realities of those living, working and studying abroad. A few simple questions we’ve asked and answered throughout our research touch upon: How are those abroad represented in Romania’s main decisional fora, in the Parliament? Not knowing or simply ignoring how many Romanians actually emigrated (or plan to) does not make for fair representation. Another important aspect, are consular services appropriate or up to date, and what can be improved? How do Romanians abroad vote, do institutions facilitate their constitutional right? Despite some noticeable improvements, voting still remains politicised and unpredictable, while consular services require substantial adapting in terms of processing (of documents) and outreach capacities (to name a few).

Romania is one of the few countries in the world with the whole gamut of diaspora-related institutions purporting to represent, fund and support all Romanians living abroad. We often asked ourselves how effective is the public administration in the delivery of services? Is the funding of diaspora projects actually benefitting communities? Or, is the funding mechanism responsive to the context in which these projects are implemented? The answer is no, not yet, but it could be.

That is why, we need to build a solid knowledge-base about the diaspora, before seeking to implement any meaningful strategy. As for the diaspora itself, the strength is not only in numbers. Indeed, there are millions of Romanians scattered across the globe, forming culturally vibrant communities, participating in the public life of host societies, contributing professionally and mobilising civically away from Romania but still connected to it. However, for a diaspora to become truly relevant and influential, impactful, long-term oriented cooperation is key.

Key findings

Know your target audience: Establish a bilateral working group that has the knowledge and ability to collect, interpret and transpose data into a coherent narrative, thus providing a departure point for more informed policy-making and diaspora engagement strategies.
Engage the diaspora: Cultivate trust by addressing the core issues facing communities abroad, demonstrating willingness to listen, and upholding good governance norms and practices. Strengthen and support through policy instruments the diaspora’s organisational capacity, reprioritising/adjusting funding objectives based on a thorough assessment of community needs, capabilities and potential.
Accountability, transparency and continuity: Engage in a systematic review of diaspora governance, thoroughly assessing which policies, initiatives and strategies succeeded or not. Acknowledging failures, vulnerabilities and risks through transparent institutional auditing is a step forward in conveying accountability to communities otherwise dissuaded from civic and political participation.

Key findings

Trust and cooperate: Identify like-minded partners, pool resources and coordinate operational modes in order to effectively pursue more impactful, long-term oriented initiatives.
Share: Engage in a process of sharing good practices, lessons learnt and expertise to access wider support networks, and coalitions of support around issues that impact the community as a whole.
Strategic Vision: Adopt a strategic posture by cooperating to effect change, whether this implies devising self-sustaining funding mechanisms (crowdfunding, diaspora trusts, etc.), developing diaspora knowledge platforms, or pursuing more consistent advocacy in both home and host countries.

Impact

ROUNDTABLES & IMPACT

§ This report was publicly launched on Tuesday 10th November (2020) with the following speakers:

Dan Mihalache (H.E. Romanian Ambassador to the UK)
Sandra Pralong (Presidential Advisor)
Dr. Elisabeth Pop (Citizenship and Integration Officer at the Greater London Authority)
Andra-Lucia Martinescu, (Co-founder and coordinator of The Diaspora Initiative)
Alina Balațchi-Lupascu (Co-founder of Romanian Women in the UK)
Karen Buck MP (Shadow Social Security Minister)

§ You can catch up with the audio from the event below and the video here.

§ The second high-level roundtable (private, invite only), organised in December brought together policy and decision-makers from Romania and the UK to discuss bilateral engagement through diaspora initiatives

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This report is the first of its kind: mapping the Romanian diaspora in the UK, particularly how diaspora associations contribute to, interact with and sometimes challenge both host and home country institutions, whilst also measuring the impact of diaspora initiatives overall. This analysis aims to improve public understanding about the issues faced by the Romanian diaspora, while providing ideas to help inform and inspire policy and decision-making for what has become a strategic constituency for both Romania and the UK. It also aims to encourage a more effective and sustained cooperation between Romanian diaspora organisations, strategically maximising their impact and relevance, while promoting best practice to all institutions and organisations.

The new report builds on the findings of previous FPC briefings: Understanding the Romanian Diaspora, Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: A Strategically Important Network and Understanding the Romanian Diaspora: Diaspora mobilisation during COVID-19

USEFUL RESOURCES

You can further explore our preliminary data, methods and analysis in the Research menu.

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Our Partnership

Research Output

Roundtables & Impact

Useful Resources

Our
Partnerships

Research
Output

Roundtables & Impact

Useful
Resources

OUR PARTNERSHIPS

OUR RESEARCH & FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS

Impact

RESEARCH OUTPUT

Impact

ROUNDTABLES & IMPACT

USEFUL RESOURCES

USEFUL RESOURCES

You can further explore our preliminary data, methods and analysis in the Research menu.