The diaspora’s role in Romanian politics.
Romania lacks an effective political opposition. The economy has been growing apace in the last few years, but it is yet to move out of laggard status in many European developmental statistics having, among other things, relied on emigration to keep unemployment levels in bounds. Over time, the relative weight and importance of recent graduates and skilled workers among migrants have increased, giving the diaspora more influence in Romania.
The diaspora could help a confident and informed citizenry exert increased scrutiny on vested interests in politics and the administration.
Low-skilled emigration in the last two decades has brought even the most remote villages into wider networks of European exchange.
More recent emigrants, often the children of the new middle class, have the education, clout and networks to create a bridge to the West.
