Conspicuous consumption and philanthropy connections between Punjabi immigrants from the Doaba Region and their hometowns
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Date
2020
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Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Press
Abstract
The Punjabi home village or town is often a place that is still “home” to first
generation immigrants. The name and memory of the homeland place evokes
feelings of attachment, love, familiarity and even sadness. For first generation
immigrants, relationships with the homeland, although attenuated over time do
not vanish. The strong ties to the land often draw these immigrants back on a
temporary or permanent basis. Members are motivated to contribute by genuine
altruism towards their kinsfolk, self-interest in creating a more comfortable
environment for visits home or retirement, and by social or religious obligations.
While the Punjabi diaspora is increasingly conducting its philanthropy through
organizations such as NGOs, charitable trusts, foundations and associations, all
of which are better suited to continuing the work for hometown development
than individuals, this channel for development has not grown significantly.
Immigrants from Punjab have transformed the infrastructure, medical
facilities and educational institutions of their home state, particularly in rural
areas which have lagged behind in development. While the efforts of the state
government of Punjab in organizing the synergistic use of private and public
funds is laudable and can have long lasting impacts particularly in poorly
developed rural areas, there are concerns that that funds from overseas for local
development eases pressure on the government to provide institutions and
means for social and economic development. Moreover, individual diasporans and even associations and foundations may not always know the needs of the
community and hence may impose projects that are likely to bring visibility to
the donor (particularly if the project is egocentric), but may be inappropriate,
unrealistic or difficult to sustain. Attracting 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants
to work for the development of their parents’ and grandparents’ hometowns is
also a challenge, but possibly one that can be overcome by encouraging them
to return not just for tourism and cultural events, but to be actively involved in
development projects by working in them.
Description
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Keywords
Punjab, emigration, immigration, diaspora, remittances
Citation
Economics and Business, №1, 2020, pp. 52-68