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Knowledge Transfers Through Diaspora Transnationalism and Return Migration: A Case Study of Indian Skilled Migrants

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Diasporas, Development and Governance

Part of the book series: Global Migration Issues ((IOMS,volume 5))

Abstract

The chapter is based on new empirical data collected through primary surveys and in-depth interviews with Indian skilled migrants in Europe and with returnees in India. The study found that Indian skilled professionals, scientists and students are contributing to their home country while they are abroad and after they return. These contributions are manifested in various channels of engagement including financial remittances and investments, social capital, knowledge transfer through diaspora interventions and physical return. The chapter highlights the development aspirations of skilled Indians in Europe and illustrates the transnational actions they engage in to transfer knowledge and promote positive linkages. While Indian skilled professionals, students and researchers in Europe link their development aspirations to their return plans, and believe that Indian society can benefit from the knowledge and expertise they accumulate overseas, the reality is that they are faced with several obstacles within the local system in India. They also encounter difficulties when transferring the specialized knowledge and technical skills gained abroad after they return.

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Acknowledgements

The study was carried out as part of the international research project “Migration, scientific diasporas and development: impact of skilled return migration on development in India,” which was led by the Cooperation and Development Center (CODEV) of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), and was implemented in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK), the International Migration and Diaspora Studies (IMDS) Project of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the International Labour Office (ILO). The project was funded by the Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) in Switzerland.

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  1. Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Gabriela Tejada

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  1. Gabriela Tejada
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Correspondence to Gabriela Tejada .

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  1. Department of Geography and African & African American Studies, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA

    Abel Chikanda

  2. Balsilie School of Intern Affairs, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Jonathan Crush

  3. Balsilie School of Intern Affairs, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

    Margaret Walton-Roberts

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Tejada, G. (2016). Knowledge Transfers Through Diaspora Transnationalism and Return Migration: A Case Study of Indian Skilled Migrants. In: Chikanda, A., Crush, J., Walton-Roberts, M. (eds) Diasporas, Development and Governance. Global Migration Issues, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22165-6_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22165-6_12

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-22165-6

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