migration · Julian Hinz

Engaging the Diaspora in Internationalizing Colombia's Economy

Ricardo Hausmann — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Colombia’s growth over the last two decades was driven by a handful of commodity-based industries, and the economy’s structural weakness traces back to a lack of diversification into more sophisticated products and services. The diaspora can support the country’s diversification and foster its economic integration into global value chains. Drawing on our study of 1.7 million members of the global Colombian diaspora, 3.5 million Twitter users of presumed Colombian origin, and a survey with 11,500 responses from over 100 countries, we argue that the key is to nurture relationships with Colombians abroad — well-educated professionals, senior managers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and inventors who can create strong links between Colombia and highly productive regions such as California, New York, and London.

The Role of the Diaspora in the Internationalization of the Colombian Economy

Ljubica Nedelkoska — Sat, 01 May 2021 00:00:00 +0000

We studied the geography as well as the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of 1.7 million members of the global Colombian diaspora (34% of the total estimated Colombian diaspora) using census and survey data from major host countries, and 3.5 million Twitter users located around the world presumed to be of Colombian origin. We also studied the locations and industries of Colombian senior managers and directors outside Colombia, using a global database of over 400 million companies. Moreover, we studied the migration journeys, the diaspora’s attachment to Colombia, the level of diaspora engagement and interest in engaging, the intentions to return back home, the interest in diaspora government policy, and the overall sentiment of the diaspora towards Colombia, through a survey which received 11,500 responses from the diaspora in well over 100 countries in less than two months. We additionally interviewed 12 Colombian transnational entrepreneurs and professionals, to understand what attracts them professionally to Colombia, and what may stand in the way of more diaspora engagement and professional growth. The study provided input to the Steering Committee of Colombia’s Internationalization Mission (2020–2021).

Venezuelans Deserve Refugee Status

Ricardo Hausmann — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Measuring Venezuelan Emigration with Twitter

Ricardo Hausmann — Mon, 28 May 2018 00:00:00 +0000

Movement of Twitter users within Venezuela and to neighboring countries.

Venezuela has seen an unprecedented exodus of people in recent months. In response to a dramatic economic downturn in which inflation is soaring, oil production tanking, and a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding, many Venezuelans are seeking refuge in neighboring countries. However, the lack of official numbers on emigration from the Venezuelan government, and receiving countries largely refusing to acknowledge a refugee status for affected people, it has been difficult to quantify the magnitude of this crisis. In this note we document how we use data from the social media service Twitter to measure the emigration of people from Venezuela. Using a simple statistical model that allows us to correct for a sampling bias in the data, we estimate that up to 2.9 million Venezuelans have left the country in the past year.