Professor David Carment
David Carment’s research question arose out of his many years studying fragile and conflict affected states. A professor at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA), he is the editor of Canadian Foreign Policy Journal and a Fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
“Why do some states remain poor and stuck in fragility and conflict despite the attention they receive from their diaspora,” asked Carment in his SSHRC proposal, which garnered a $88,780 grant. “The purpose of this research is to identify and evaluate how Canadian diaspora groups support their fragile and conflict affected homelands.”
In collaboration with his NPSIA colleague Yiagadeesen (Teddy) Samy and Milana Nikolko of the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (EURUS), Carment is testing the hypothesis that failed states “exhibit poor policy environments in which resources are improperly allocated toward productive ends.”
“We argue that positive and effective diaspora engagement depends on functional trade relations, foreign direct investment, functional property rights, good governance and effectively channeled remittances.”
Their goals for the project include:
• enhancing understanding of how diaspora communities can sustain and contribute to crucial economic, social and political activities in fragile and conflict affected states;
• increasing our knowledge of how fragile and conflict affected states can effectively manage the opportunities and risks associated with the presence of diaspora linkages, through policy structures and institutions;
• and drawing lessons from states that have successfully transitioned from fragility to effectiveness and resilience through active diaspora connections.
The researchers are also working with graduate students on the project, which will train them in qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Friday, May 8, 2020 in General, News, Research
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