When it comes to how Kosovars and Albanians view their respective diasporas, there seems to be an underlying notion that prosperous and well-accomplished people who live abroad have a duty to contribute to the development of their native countries.
When it comes to how Kosovars and Albanians view their respective diasporas, there seems to be an underlying notion that prosperous and well-accomplished people who live abroad have a duty to contribute to the development of their native countries. While attitudes toward diaspora are somewhat more complex in Albania due to the collapse of state there in the late 1990s, Kosovars have traditionally expected their diaspora to use part of their resources, skills, and wealth to help Kosovo in its developmental efforts. These expectations were shaped during the 1990s when Kosovo migrants voluntarily levied a tax on their income abroad and donated the cash to help Kosovo’s parallel systems of social welfare, healthcare, and education. Back in those days, no diaspora member expected Kosovo to create investment incentives or improve the business climate as a condition for diaspora involvement. The nature of Kosovo’s diaspora engagement was purely on voluntary and charitable basis, utilizing cultural and emotional links such as patriotism and a moral duty.
The view that migrants, on an aggregate level, are bound by some ethical duty to help their country of origin is rooted largely in the belief that patriotism, loyalty to one’s own culture, kinship and association, are powerful enough forces to persuade migrants to support their country. This phenomenon may not be true in all countries, but studies show that in small countries, and especially during difficult times, the association factors are true across the board. The same holds true for both Kosovo and Albania, although these beliefs may be stronger in Kosovo. That’s because the views of Kosovo government and other public officials were formed during the 1990s. Only in the last few years, have Kosovars come to believe that the intangible links of loyalty and patriotism will not be enough to convince migrants to invest their resources back home, especially in times of peace.
Recent studies from UNDP and the World Bank provide better insight into how the Albanian diaspora perceives and engages with their countries of origin. This in turn has influenced how the governments of Kosovo and Albania organize themselves and create conditions to lure investments from their migrants. More recent similar data, in the form of a survey from Harvard University, has offered additional insight and information into understanding highly educated Albanians in the United States. The results of the survey add to the true notion that while Albanians remain emotionally linked to their country of origin, they also expect public officials to provide a clean government and a sound business and economic environment if they want their diaspora to become more engaged and commit resources to development efforts.
The survey was conducted by the Center for International Development at Harvard University and several Albanian-American diaspora organizations, and included over 1,400 Albanians and Albanian-Americans in the U.S. The survey’s main objective was to measure interest among Albanians to establish an Albanian diaspora Program, but the results revealed important insights about the group and its dynamics, including the level of willingness in contributing to the economic development of their home countries.
It was the first study of its kind in the U.S., and it provides a remarkable portrait of an active and highly-educated group of Albanians who express an abiding interest and eagerness to engage with their home countries. This willingness to invest their resources in Albanian-inhabited regions, however, comes with some strings attached and patriotism alone will not cut it.
One of the most important questions of the survey asked participants to identify with their Albanian roots. Using a scale of 0-10, about 73 percent of respondents provided numerals of at least 6 or above indicating a strong sense of identity and linkage with their home countries. These linkages are important because they create conditions where the engagement with home countries can become more pragmatic. In the case of this group, the study estimated that respondents of the survey were ready to contribute not only with their professional skills, but with tangible capital worth more than $25 million. But this capital would be invested only if economic and business conditions were safer and if the governments were more engaged with diaspora. The group is highly sceptical though that governments are interested in this cooperation and only 19 percent believe that governments are doing enough to engage diaspora in economic development. High numbers of respondents cited corruption, weak infrastructure, weak legal protection, and political and economic stability as the chief obstacles.
While most respondents identify strongly with their Albanian roots, the association is weakened by the inability of governments to take advantage of this and engage diaspora in more concrete ways. The problem is that negative perceptions the respondents have about weak governments and corruption helps them make long-term decisions that are unfavorable for a strong connection with their own countries. This becomes obvious when they express no desire to return home, which would be another form of long-term and serious engagement with their home countries. Only 8 percent of respondents said that they wanted to return home, while 49 percent had no plans of returning, and another 43 percent considered it a possibility. The results ofthe survey, while limited in scope, send some clear signals that highly educated Albanians in the U.S. still have strong ties to their native countries, but to engage them in economic development and count on their concrete support, it will require more than appealing to their sense of patriotism and ethical duty. Both the Kosovo and Albanian governments should take notice and fundamentally change how they perceive their best educated diaspora members.