Public Policy and Advocacy: Understanding Diaspora Advocacy

1. Public Policy and Advocacy:
Understanding Diaspora Advocacy
GRFDT National Seminar
Jawaharlal Nehru University
12 May 2012
Kamala Kanta Dash, PhD Candidate
Public Policy and South Asian Studies
Monash University, Australia
Email: kkdas2@student.monash.edu

3. Background and Structure
• PhD Research: Community Engagement in Public
Policy in India and Australia
• Whether Diasporas as global actors impact and
influence Public Policy ?
• Work in Progress: To be published as a working
paper for GRFDT
• Structure of the presentation:
1-Public Policy and Advocacy
2-Diaspora Advocacy
3-Case study of US India Political Action Committee
(USINPAC)

4. Initial Investigation
• Voice After Exit: Diaspora Advocacy,
Kathleen Newland (2010), Migration Policy
Institute
• Indian Diaspora in Global Advocacy, Ajay
Gandhi (2002), Global Networks
• The US India Political Action Committee
(www.usinpac.com) established in 2002

5. Public Policy and Advocacy
• Public Policy and advocacy go together.
• Policy advocacy as a process shapes policy
discourses, identifies loopholes to strengthen
policy making and facilitates its effective
implementation.
• Higher the stake, strength and influence of
the group, higher are the impact of its
advocacy on policy.

6. What is Policy Advocacy
• Policy advocacy is the process of negotiating
and mediating a dialogue through which
influential networks, opinion leaders, and,
ultimately, decision makers take ownership
of your ideas, evidence, and proposals, and
subsequently act upon them. (Eóin Young &
Lisa Quinn, 2012)

7. Who is an Advocate?
• The most basic meaning of advocacy is to
represent, promote, or defend some
person(s), interest, or opinion
• OED defines advocate is a person who puts
a case on someone else’s behalf and also
• a person who publicly supports or
recommends a particular cause or policy

9. Diaspora Advocacy
• Diaspora communities, organizations, and
individuals are increasingly vocal and
influential in their countries of origin and of
settlement .
• While government is their primary target, they
also seek to influence international
organizations, the media, the private sector,
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and
other actors. Kathleen Newland (2010)

10. Diaspora Advocacy-II
• Diaspora advocacy has become at once more
immediate and more abundant in the era of
electronic communications, as the ease of
organizing diaspora members across distances
and national boundaries has removed old
constraints. Web sites, discussion groups, and
social networks of diaspora members have
proliferated, resulting in a multiplication of the
organizational potential of groups and even
individuals. Kathleen Newland (2010)

11. Main Focuses of Diaspora
Advocacy?
Kathleen Newland (2010)
• Advocating for Overseas Voting Rights and
Dual Nationality
• Advocating for Caste, Ethnic, and Religious
Rights
• Advocating for Development and Disaster
Relief
• Advocating for Commerce

13. Methods of Diaspora Advocacy
Kathleen Newland (2010)
• Lobbying and Direct Participation in Government
• Lawsuits
• Fundraising
• Electoral Politics and Direct Participation in
Government
• Making Use of Media for Advocacy: From Postcards
to Online Posts
• Promoting (and Protesting) Countries of Origin
Through Art and Media
• The Power of the Image
• Demonstrations

14. Indian Diaspora Advocacy in the US
• Forget the Israel Lobby. The Hill's Next Big
Player Is Made in India (Mira Kamdar,
Washington Post, 2007)
• Working for India or against Islam?
Islamophobia in Indian American Lobbies
(Ingrid Therwath, 2007, SAMAJ)
• American India Foundation
• The US India Political Action Committee

15. US India Political Action Committee
• Genesis
• Inspiration
• Objective and Vision
• Areas of Focus
• Achievements
• Future Goals

18. Suggestions and Questions
Thank You