Global Networks-A Journal of Transnational Affairs最新文献

The growth of regional demand in food chains is often assumed to offer particular opportunities to small-scale agro-processing firms in Africa, promising a route to a more inclusive pathway of industrialization for the continent. The aim of the article is to interrogate this assumption by providing a critical assessment of the impacts of Kenya's growing demand for maize flour on small maize milling firms in Tanzania. It uses an in-depth survey with small millers and interviews with actors in the value chain, combined with secondary manufacturing and trade data, to make a theoretical and empirical contribution to these debates. It offers an expanded conceptual framework to examine the direct and indirect temporal, spatial and political impacts of regional demand on market structure and competition. To conclude, it draws out the implications of focussing on regional demand for industrial policy, resilience and economic inclusion.

Despite growing scholarly interest in youth mobility, research among the descendants of migrants often focuses on travel between their country of residence and their parents' country of origin. This limited perspective risks obscuring the interconnections between different forms of mobility and their influence on individuals' lives. Drawing on autobiographical interviews with individuals raised by Polish parents in Germany, this article explores their varied transnational practices in relation to (non)belonging. While a growing body of literature addresses challenges faced by Eastern European migrants, their descendants receive less scholarly attention. Often perceived as ‘invisible’ due to assumptions of seamless integration, they nonetheless encounter stigma and exclusion. This study demonstrates how movements across different places and social contexts positioned participants in a liminal space of non-belonging and contributed to the devaluation, rejection, or romanticization of their connection to their parents' homeland. It argues that transnational mobility both reinforced non-belonging and served as a way of coping with it. By centring non-belonging, the study identifies the specific processes that led to it and its impact on life decisions.

This study examines the effects of the pandemic on the social capital of Venezuelan LGBTQ+ refugees and migrants in northern Brazil. Based on 56 surveys and 28 semi-structured interviews with LGBTQ+ Venezuelan refugees and migrants in Manaus, 10 key informant interviews with politicians, NGOs, and UN staff in Brazil and participant observations in various shelters in northern Brazil, this paper shed light on the unique challenges faced by LGBTQ+ refugees and migrants during the pandemic and emphasize the importance of diverse social networks in providing support. Social capital research suggests that bonding social capital is crucial during crises. However, for respondents who face strained relationships with their families due to cultural and religious disapproval of their sexual orientation or gender identity, bonding ties were not a significant source of support before or during the pandemic. Instead, bridging ties with locals and linking ties with the government played more significant roles.

Using a comparative approach, we deconstruct and examine the different facets of well-being and ill-being of transnational grandparents whose migrant adult children and grandchildren are living in Canada. Experiences ranged from happiness and satisfaction to grandparents being severely affected and deeply suffering. Well-being and ill-being were shaped by the following: (1) grandparents’ perspectives and feelings about the transnational circumstances, how they processed and framed the situation; (2) their relationships with migrant family members, including the quality of interactions, communication and ability to preserve closeness; (3) how they experienced the support role they play in their families’ lives and (4) family dynamics regarding the direction and level of dependence for support within the family. The socio-cultural, economic and migration contexts affected grandparents’ expectations, perspectives and their sense of control and capacity to give and stay connected with their migrant families. The findings underscore the interconnectedness of family members’ well-being and ill-being across borders.

Despite the longstanding debates among ethnographers and policymakers regarding the social organization of the Roma–the largest and most marginalized native ethnocultural minority in Europe–quantitative analyses are limited. This is partly due to a unique combination of social closure and spatial dispersion of most Roma groups, exacerbated by their recent massive migration from Central and Eastern Europe. Here, we implement a novel methodology that draws on Roma's migration networks and ethnicity- and kin-centred social norms, which enforce a permanent contact with their close ones, often facilitated by online social media like Facebook. We combine snowball sampling and a questionnaire about four ‘top friends’, as ranked by the Facebook algorithm, to elicit a sociocentric network of a comparatively large group of self-identified Roma originating in a Romanian area (n = 752, 96% living outside Romania). Our analysis indicates that the elicited network displays a notable similarity to the social structure of the target population in terms of kinship, subethnic group affiliation, gender roles and other characteristics. The detected patterns provide a quantitative evaluation of the qualitative ethnographic research on the Roma, thereby opening new avenues for research on this and other hard-to-reach populations.

The complexity and dynamism of networks necessitate a thorough examination of their resilience against the evolving challenges of globalisation. Using a Bibliometric-Systematic Literature Review (B-SLR), which is commonly considered a rigorous methodological approach, this article examines how the resilience of these networks can influence international relations and economic stability, particularly in a world shaped by soft, hard and smart power dynamics. By investigating intricate interactions within networks, we highlight the importance of developing robust frameworks capable of withstanding economic shocks and political changes. Our study cites emerging literature clusters to illustrate the interconnectedness of these networks, contributing to ongoing discussions on network resilience. By referencing emerging literature clusters and developing a conceptual framework that examines their mutual interconnections, our study addresses these critical aspects, contributing to ongoing discussions in the literature and proposing a future research agenda aimed at enhancing the robustness of international economic networks in response to contemporary global challenges. Thus, we contribute to fostering greater stability and adaptability in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.