ABSTRACT
How do ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs) use digital technologies to reach out to their diaspora communities, to what purpose and how effective they are in their approach? As digital platforms now enable diasporas to stay closely connected to the political, cultural and economic life of the home countries, it is important to understand the impact these communities may have on the foreign policy of their home countries. Drawing on several cases of countries with traditionally large and active diaspora communities, the study will compare the digital strategies that MFAs use to communicate, engage and build relationships with their diaspora communities. As building blocks of the conceptual backbone of the chapter, these three dimensions also provide a framework for examining the extent to which MFAs, as traditional institutions formed and developed during the industrial revolution, can successfully adapt to the challenges and opportunities of conducting policy in the networked world ushered in by the Digital Age.
