New report highlights the need to engage with British expats abroad
The Institute of Public Policy and Research (IPPR), a government think tank, have recently published a report entitled ‘Global Brit: Making the most of the British Diaspora’. The study examined the current situation with regard to British emigrants’ perception of Britain, for example, the degree of emotional attachment a British expat still has with their home country. The report also made recommendations concerning engagement with the British emigrant community including ideas for how to improve the present situation.
Many governments around the world understand the power of their overseas populations and use them as assets. This has benefits for the emigrants and also for the home country in terms of pursuing progressive, internationalist goals. The study puts forward a case for the UK government to take ‘diaspora engagement’ more seriously as it is currently an underused asset according to the authors of the report. It is argued the British expat population can act as ‘informal ambassadors’ for the country, using ‘soft power’ to promote the UK abroad, albeit that they would mostly be unaware that they are doing this. Increasing attachment to the UK and encouraging a feeling of national pride would foster this ‘informal ambassador’ attitude.
The analysis recognised six categories of Britishness, ranging from ‘Matter of fact Britishness’ (i.e. ‘I am British as that’s what is on my passport’) to emotional Britishness (i.e. sense of pride in being British). Each category had varying degrees of attachment to the UK via various channels including friends, family and UK TV services avaliable abroad such as the BBC.
The study also found that the type of people who emigrate from the UK tend to be adventurous risk takers who have a strong desire to broaden their horizons. The account also reported that British expats tend to be better educated and more highly skilled than the rest of the UK population.
