Abstract

A Diaspora Strategy is an explicit and systematic policy initiative or series of policy initiatives aimed at developing and managing relationships between homelands and diasporic populations. These policy initiatives vary from highly formalised and structured programmes to projects that are quite light in conception and application. A diaspora strategy is perhaps best thought of then as an overarching framework for providing a level of coherence to the range of diaspora policies devised and implemented by a variety of agencies. The NIRSA Diaspora Wheel is designed as a checklist for policy makers currently formulating and rolling out diaspora strategies. It identifies eight policy spokes around a set of five challenges at the hub. Clearly in practice some spokes overlap with others. Within each policy spoke a set of key considerations and critical measures are identified. Work is currently being undertaken to specify a range of concrete indicators and benchmarks of progress within each spoke.