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Diaspora As Development Actors: a Source of Human and Social Capital for Local Development in Turkey

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Diaspora As Development Actors: a Source of Human and Social Capital for Local Development in Turkey City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2014 Diaspora As Development Actors: A Source Of Human And Social Capital For Local Development In Turkey Meryem Senay Ataselim Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/10 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] DIASPORA AS DEVELOPMENT ACTORS: A SOURCE OF HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY by MERYEM ŞENAY ATASELİM A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2014 © 2014 MERYEM ŞENAY ATASELİM All Rights Reserved ii This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Political Science in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Professor Irving Leonard Markovitz Date Chair of Examining Committee Professor Joe Rollins Date Executive Officer Professor Kathleen McCarthy Professor John Mollenkopf Supervisory Committee THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Abstract DIASPORA AS DEVELOPMENT ACTORS: A SOURCE OF HUMAN AND SOCIAL CAPITAL FOR LOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN TURKEY By MERYEM ŞENAY ATASELİM Adviser: Professor Irving Leonard Markovitz This dissertation provides an analysis of Turkish-American diaspora philanthropy – done through social and human capital transfers – and its role in impacting local development in Turkey. The study offers the consideration of a new kind of diaspora philanthropy, namely innovative philanthropy, which channels ideas, skills and experiences that have the potential to impact social change in local communities through social and human capital transfers. The dissertation presents and analyzes two cases that have been supported by the Turkish-American diaspora. Each case study is based on interviews with donors profiled through the cases, Turkish-Americans, leaders of the initiatives in Turkey, staff, local government representatives, and other interested parties; an analysis of the initiatives’ websites, their founding documents, and a review of media clippings on the projects. These analyses were also supported by interviews with the members of the Turkish- American diaspora to study and understand the identity of Turkish-Americans and the ways they engage with the homeland philanthropically. The two case studies portrayed in this study show that even though diaspora philanthropy towards Turkey is still relatively new and small in financial terms, there are members of the diaspora who make a difference in their local communities beyond what any other international actor can iv develop. Study highlights the impact of these diaspora members, whose philanthropic contributions are a combination of motivation, and persistence; and uses the term “diaspora champions” to define them. These diaspora champions connect back home not just by sending money but sharing the experiences and skills they gained in the United States and tapping into their personalized networks. The study depicts the social process of these philanthropic transfers to show that diaspora philanthropy is really ‘constituted’ not ‘transferred’ in the sense that what happens during the process really can help us understand the nature and the impact of it (Iskander, 2008). Today diaspora groups and individuals are being recognized as major actors who can use their influence and financial resources to contribute to local development in their homelands. However, their roles remain vague. This study provides a picture of diaspora philanthropy and civic activism and its dynamics. The passion, persistence and innovation of the diasporas portrayed in this study enable local communities to open up to new initiatives. These champions mobilized their personal networks, worked very closely with leaders of their local communities, and eventually built trust to implement new ideas that can help with local development. They not only transferred the skills and experiences they gained in the hostland but also created and fostered networks within local communities in Turkey to share their skills and contacts. This formed new circles among local leaders who became the ambassadors of the projects initiated by the diaspora and mobilized support for these civic initiatives. This kind of social impact was the impetus needed to initiate these local civil initiatives in Turkey. Accordingly, the dissertation first studies diaspora philanthropy with a particular emphasis on the roles of social and human capital transfers from the diaspora. As understanding the social process means understanding the motivations of Turkish- v Americans and the ways in which diaspora communities engage with diaspora philanthropy, the study also explores the reasons Turkish-Americans give back. The study finds that diaspora champions have been instrumental in 1) the emergence of local civic leaders; 2) the launch and initiation of local social initiatives; and 3) the expansion of these social initiatives beyond local regions. Accordingly, this research suggests that philanthropy done by diaspora champions through social and human capital has an important role to play in creating a new paradigm for local development, as it offers some powerful insights. Furthermore, the dissertation studies legal and political frameworks in Turkey to net out the effects of diaspora philanthropy from other factors. Local development through diaspora philanthropy is in itself a valid goal. However, it may become a futile exercise unless there is greater awareness about the complexities in countries such as Turkey. Accordingly, this dissertation analyses the changing legal and political frameworks in Turkey impacting local development. There is a tendency among the international donor community to present civil society as a broadly unified concept with the ability to promote development. Yet, civil society as a concept has competing definitions as to its nature and the roles it is expected to perform. Such criticisms, however, do not automatically mean that the concept of civil society has no utility. Since development is very much associated with local development in the international development arena, this dissertation questions the role civil society performs and takes into account the opportunities made available by local legal and political settings. All these do not amount to passing over the very significant debates that have occurred around the definition and conceptualization of civil society, its ‘exportability’ to non-Western contexts and its linkage to questions of democracy. These debates inform this study and are crucial in vi setting out the terms and framework of the empirical inquiry, particularly because different understandings of civil society shape the very dynamics of the activism this dissertation examines. However, the study is primarily concerned with presenting empirical findings regarding the impact of diaspora on mobilizing civil initiatives without specifically linking to its asserted normative value and its perceived inevitable linkage to democratic development. The study finds that civil initiatives have a potential to improve local development through diaspora philanthropy’s involvement if the political, social and economic environment is open to it. Recently, the Turkish government has changed its policies regarding local development and has been more open to the involvement of the local actors in the development of the local and more importantly, has been promoting it. That changing environment enabled diaspora champions to initiate projects that had an impact on local development as they were able to mobilize local leaders to lead civil initiatives. vii PREFACE I am aware that being honest about one’s beliefs, values and biases affect the research process (Lather, 1990). This research was to test if and how diaspora philanthropy makes a positive impact in the homeland. And, this is a disclaimer that I have been involved in diaspora philanthropy more than eight years both as a researcher and a professional. My involvement started when I was selected as an International fellow at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society to do research on the implications of diaspora philanthropy. I was interested in the giving motivations of Turkish-Americans and hoped to create a guideline for organizations that were interested in mobilizing diaspora funds. During the course of my work, I interviewed Haldun Tashman, who later along with 4 others established Turkish Philanthropy Funds. As my research interests were very much in alignment with what Haldun Tashman and the other founders had in mind, I became a part of the initial group who worked on establishing the organization. Then, I was offered to be the Chief Operating Officer. My interest on diaspora philanthropy took a new turn as I started to work professionally. One of the case studies in this dissertation portrays Haldun Tashman who is the chairman of Turkish Philanthropy Funds, where currently I am the Chief Operating Officer. Even though I am professionally connected to Haldun Tashman, during the course of this dissertation’s work, our relationship has not been any different than with my relationship
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