On Thursday, May 28th, at the request of the Office of the State Minister of Georgia for Diaspora Issues ISET hosted Liesl A. Riddle, associate professor of International Business and International Affairs at the George Washington University School of Business. Prof. Riddle gave a presentation titled “Diaspora Roles in Development around the World: Challenges, Opportunities & Models”.

Prof. Riddle talked about general issues related to the diaspora. As explained, people leave their home countries for various reasons, such as escalating the political situation in the country, corruption, government changes, etc. The majority of migrants cross borders in search of better economic and social opportunities. The number of international emigrants doubled in 1975-2000 and reached 200 million worldwide. 1 in 10 persons in developed countries is a migrant.

What could be the investment motivation for migrants? It can be financial, emotional, political, or social status. Professor Riddle gave great examples of several emigrants who basically build their own businesses and implemented successful direct investment in their countries of origin.

Prof. Riddle spoke about the migration processes in the 21st century and how they changed over time. There is a list of the factors why now it’s easier to move from home country to destination one and vice versa: transportation advances, communication innovation, global media, etc.

Dr. Riddle has written extensively about diasporas and development, international entrepreneurship, and trade and investment promotion. Having examined diaspora investment and entrepreneurship for over 20 years, Dr. Riddle has conducted research among 16 different diaspora communities in the USA and Europe originating from countries of origin in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Middle East. ISET is privileged to have such honorable guest speakers and would like to thank Prof. Riddle for presenting a very interesting and useful seminar to the ISET community.

Click here to download the presentation