Lessons From an Armenian Diaspora Online Survey A Diaspora Portal and Non-Monetary Development Initiatives in Small Economies

Abstract

Diasporas have long since been argued to be the potential conduits for economic development in their self-identified ancestral homelands. This has been particularly true for Armenia; however, there is no established institutionalized system that can facilitate mutually beneficial outcomes for both the home-country and the diaspora.

Largely through the efforts of their individual members or organizations, diasporas across the world, including the Armenian diaspora, have a track record of offering significant charitable, humanitarian or financial support to the ancestral homeland in a primarily occasional manner. Often, these efforts are dependent on fundraising efforts in the local diaspora communities.

There may also be non-monetary paths, however, to a diaspora’s stronger involvement in the home country’s more sustainable economic and social development. It is then important to attempt to understand that potential and the possible types of such applied involvement.

From 2015 to the spring of 2018, I organized those thoughts in an online survey I created, called the Armenian Diaspora Online Survey (ADOS), which consisted of 28 questions (with sub-queries). The survey was conducted in English and was completely independent (with no external funding or any organizational endorsements). Over time, the ADOS was promoted to various online community groups via social media, by email, and in various news outlets.

By April 2018, the ADOS had collected 513 valid anonymous responses (raw data may be viewed here). Broadly, much of the respondents’ anonymous responses regarding their willingness to engage with Armenia stands in contrast to popular opinion polls or hypothetical conclusions by extrapolation. The first ADOS results were presented in May 2018 at a conference at Columbia University in New York with subsequent presentations later that year in Armenia.

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