The document discusses the concept of immigrant transnationalism, which refers to immigrants maintaining regular engagement and activities in both their home and host countries. It contrasts the traditional view of immigration as a one-way movement from home to host countries with the transnational lens, which sees immigration as ongoing cross-border flows and activities. The document also provides examples measuring transnationalism through remittances, transnational business ties, and other connections immigrants maintain with their home countries. Finally, it outlines some implications of transnationalism, such as the need to reconceive policies around issues like education, investment, and identity to accommodate immigrants' transnational realities.

1. Transnational
Communities- not your grandfather’s diaspora -
Boston Planning and
Development Agency
Alvaro Lima, July 2017

2. AGENDA:
I.What is Immigrant Transnationalism?
II.Traditional versus Transnational Lenses
III. Measuring Transnationalism
IV. Some Implications of Transnationalism
V. Innovation Portfolio

3.  Immigration flows have been understood mostly as a one way movement from sending
countries to receiving countries
 Traditionally immigration policies have been almost entirely focused on procedures and
prohibitions governing admissions - who? how many? and what kind of immigrants
should be admitted?

4.  There is a widespread belief that migration is caused by poverty, economic
stagnation, and overpopulation in the countries of origin unrelated to receiving
countries’ foreign policies, economic needs and broader international economic
conditions
 While overpopulation, poverty, and economic stagnation all create pressures for
migration, there are systematic, structural relations between globalization and
migration flows with worldwide evidence of a considerable patterning in the geography
of migrations
poverty
stagnation
overpopulation
etc…

5. Country
Total
Population
(millions)
Population
from
Developing
Countries
(millions)
Percent of
Total
Population
Top Five
Source
Countries
(percent of
total)
Top Five Source
Countries
United States
Spain
France
UK
Netherlands
Portugal
Japan
281.4
40.8
58.5
58.8
16.0
10.4
127
28.4
1.5
3.7
3.0
1.2
0.5
1.2
10.1
3.7
6.4
5.1
7.6
4.5
1.0
45.2
44.2
20.4
30.1
48.6
62.8
69.6
Mexico, Philippines, Puerto
Rico, India, China
Morocco, Ecuador,
Colombia, Argentina,
Venezuela
Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia,
Turkey, Vietnam
India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Jamaica,
South Africa
Suriname, Turkey,
Indonesia, Morocco,
Netherlands Antilles
Angola, Mozambique,
Brazil, Cape Verde,
Venezuela
North Korea, South Korea,
China, Brazil, Philippines
Foreign-Born Population of Rich OECD Countries from Developing Countries
Source: Let Their People Come, Lant Pritchett, 2006

6.  Immigrant integration policies (education, training, placement, ESOL, health care,
entrepreneurship, citizenship, etc..) are skeletal, ad hoc, under-funded and dominated
by the ideology of assimilation
 As Nathan Glazer puts it, “the settlement, adaptation, and progress, or lack of it, of
immigrants is largely, in the U.S. context, up to them”
labor market
language acquisition
housing
education
etc…

7.  Re-integration policies for those returning are generally inexistent making the
re-settlement process prone to failure feeding back emigration
labor market
housing
education
etc…

8. What is “Immigrant Transnationalism”?
Regular, frequent engagement in economic, political and socio-cultural
activities in both countries:

9. Drivers of Transnationalism:
 Developments in the means of transportation and
communications have changed the relations between people
and places (costs)
 International migrations have become crucial to the
demographic future of many developed countries
 Global political transformations and new international legal
regimes weakened the state as the only legitimate source of
rights
 Fostered by global consumption, global production, and
immigration, cultural hybridization are substituting folkloric
romanticism and political nationalism enshrined as essences
of national cultures 9

10. Traditional Lenses:
immigration conceptualized as a bipolar relation
between sending and receiving countries (moving
from there to here)
emigration is the result of individual search for
economic opportunity, political freedom, etc.
migrants are assumed to be the poorest of the
poor
immigrants occupy low-skilled jobs in
agriculture, construction, and manufacturing
Immigrants steadily shift their contextual focus,
economic and social activities to receiving
country
immigration should not bring about significant
change in the receiving society
Transnational Lenses:
immigration conceptualized as flows of cross-
border economic, political and social-cultural
activities (being here and there)
emigration is the result of geopolitical interests,
global linkages, and economic globalization
migrants are not the poorest of the poor nor do
they come from the poorest nations
growth in the service and technology-based jobs
create opportunities for low as well as high skilled
migrants
After the initial movement, migrants continue to
maintain ties with their country of origin
immigration creates hybrid societies with a richer
cultural milieu
Traditional versus Transnational Lenses
10

11. Measuring Transnationalism
The Six Ts of Transnationalism

12. $875
$398
$331
$218
$-
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
Brazil
Ecuador
México
Guatemala
Guyana
Dominican R.
Colombia
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Honduras
Cuba
Monthly Remittance by Nationality
$278 $274
$192 $188 $185 $177
$113
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE = $294
45.4%
20.5%
17.8%
5.1% 4.9% 3.7%
1.6% 0.8% 0.2%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Foods and spices
Videos, DVDs, CDs
Clothing
Newspapers/magazines
Books
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Craft Items
Others
Purchasing of Nostalgic Products Among Brazilians
37.6%
28.9%
26.0%
5.5%
1.6%
0.3%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
Does not
have / NR
Checking
account
Savings
account
Credit card Investment
account
Foreign
currency
savings
Financial Accounts in Country of Origin - Brazil
MEASURING
TRANSNATIONALIS
M

13. 46.6%
36.80%
27.0%
22.7%
20.0%
15.3%
14.0%
10.3%
9.1%
5.7%
3.7%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
40.0%
45.0%
50.0%
Guyana
Brazil
Ecuador
Honduras
Colombia
Nicaragua
Dominican R.
México
Cuba
El Salvador
Guatemala
Help Beyond Remittances
AVERAGE = 19.2%
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
13
26.3%
12.4%
10.0%
6.7%
5.0%
4.0% 3.5% 3.3% 2.8% 2.4%
0.0%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
Guyana
Brazil
Ecuador
Honduras
Colom
bia
Nicaragua
Mexico
Dom
inican
R.
Guatem
ala
El Salvador
Cuba
Support of Hometown Associations
AVERAGE = 6.7%
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
MEASURING
TRANSNATIONALISM

14. MEASURING
TRANSNATIONALIS
M

15. 15
Some General Implications of
Transnationalism
 Portability becomes crucial for transnational migrants
– education and certification processes; investment and
retirement schemes, health insurance, etc.;
 The concept of “community,” “society,” as well
as “the local,” must be redefined as space of flows
(relationships), pluri-local and nation-state-boarder
spanning, instead of bounded geographic places –
geographic and social container spaces;
 Transnational immigrant entrepreneurs’ contributions to the economy
have to be recognized as such and not as just “ethnic;”
 Nation-state ideals of identity in both sending and receiving countries are
challenged by transnational practices – double citizenship.
 States must re-conceive immigration and adapt their policies and
practices to accommodate transnational realities;

16. Implications of Transnational
Entrepreneurship:
There is a remarkable disparity between the dynamism of transnational
enterprises and governmental misunderstanding or ignorance of the
phenomenon
Transnational entrepreneurs have played an important role in facilitating
international trade, investment, and “diaspora tourism”
 Transnational entrepreneurship is a promising form of integration
Transnational integration and transnational entrepreneurship are highly
relevant to modern workings of global and gateway cities
Transnational integration and transnational entrepreneurship provide
opportunities for business, social entrepreneurs, and governments

17. 1st Generation Innovation Portfolio:
Transnational Portal – www.digaai.com
Transnational Index
Diaspora Financial Services
Transnational Healthcare System

18. 18
Designing a Transnational Portal

19. Designing a Transnational Index
19

20. Designing Transnational Capital
20
PARTNER BANK IN BRAZIL PARTNER BANK IN U.S.
REMITTANCES
BANK CONTRIBUTION ( % REMITTANCE FEE )
BRAZILIAN
REMITTERS
BRAZILIAN COMMUNITY FUND
( SOCIAL BROKER)
 matching funds from
foundations and corporations;
 “in kind” contributions such as
tuition abatement etc...
SOCIAL INVESTORS
CONTRIBUTIONS
 Strategic intent (move Brazilians up in
the financial value chain);
 Business plan (to capture a significant
share of the remittances sent home by
Brazilians);
 Conveniently located branches;
 Appropriate products;
 Competitive prices.
Close the “Trust Gap”
Close the “Information Gap”
Close the “Educational Gap”
 Close the “Product Gap”
 Market the Program & Fund
REMITTANCES
REMITTANCES
WORKS WITH COMMUNITY AND PARTNER BANKS TO:
 Strategic intent (move Brazilians up in
the financial value chain);
 Business plan (to capture a significant
share of the remittances sent home by
Brazilians);
 Conveniently located branches;
 Appropriate products;
 Competitive prices.
 Strategic intent (move Brazilians up in
the financial value chain);
 Grass roots marketing & relationship
development;
 Disseminate and implement
informational & educational programs;
 Define mission, goals & policies;
 Identify, select & fund projects.
BRAZILIAN COMMUNITY
INVESTS IN COMMUNITY PROJETCS
BRAZILIAN
RECEIVERS
more remittances, more contributions
more contributions, more investments
DIASPORA CAPITAL SERVICES
when senders become customers
FUND ADMINISTRATOR
 Professionally managed by
a Foundation or other
institution (for example, a
donor advised fund).
Earmarked
$

21. Projeto
Remessas -
Remittances

22. CA’s Holistic Health Management
Manage the WHOLE person
 Utilizing clinical devices
 Utilizing athletic devices
 Utilizing social devices
…together
Devices, Software, Databases, People…together.
22
Designing a Transnational Healthcare System