State governments recognize the value diaspora populations bring to development efforts worldwide. Since 2007, the Global Forum on Migration and Development has examined ways to highlight policies and programs that can magnify the resources, both human and financial, that emigrants and their descendants contribute to development.

This handbook, published by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), continues that effort on the basis of earlier investigations by the book’s collaborating institutions, the academic and policy literature, consultations and in-depth interviews with government officials and nongovernmental actors, and input by 62 national governments. The pivotal question now facing many policymakers is not so much if diasporas can benefit their countries of origin but how they do so and what kinds of government policies and programs can foster these relationships.

The handbook is divided into three major parts:

• Developing a Road Map for Effective and Sustainable Engagement
• Building Institutions and Reducing Barriers
• Creating Bridges: six focus areas for Diaspora Engagement

Authors: Kathleen Newland and Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias