- 1). Determine the Bank's overall goals. This enables the researcher to set criteria for analysis. According to its "mission and objective" page on its website, the AfDB seeks to reduce poverty by encouraging "sustainable economic development and social progress" among its member states. The AfDB's standards of development and progress are based upon its "Millennium Development Goals," such as improving maternal health, reducing communicable diseases and protecting environmental sustainability.
- 2). Search "migration" in the internal search engine on the Bank's website. The Bank already offers some analysis, through recorded conference panels, on this topic. One major issue identified by AfDB experts involves diaspora, or a nation's citizens living in multiple countries. Under such conditions, remittances, or money sent home from citizens working abroad, may distort local economies by moving investment dollars in ways not intended by the Bank. Another challenge of diaspora remains "brain drain," which occurs when the most educated and skilled workers leave a poor state to work in a wealthier one.
- 3). Find outside research on human migration patterns in Africa. Scholarly journals remain a useful source for such information. The journal "Demography," for instance, draws upon multiple disciplines in order to study human populations through statistics. "African Studies Quarterly" focuses specifically on the African continent, while "The Journal of African Development" concentrates specifically on the types of questions directly related to analyzing how migration affects the AfDB's work. Organizations and associations may also offer relevant information. The International Organization for Migration, for instance, directs a Migration for Development in Africa initiative and may offer relevant information.
- 4). Compare the facts of intra-regional migration with the African Development Bank's goals. Using the information gained in Steps 1 and 2, a researcher can analyze the impacts of intra-regional migration on the AfDB. For example, one might ask if remittances help the families receiving them provide education and health care for their children, or if "brain drain" does in fact undermine the Bank's effort to provide a basic education level for African young people. Remember, the researcher's goal here is to compare the actual effects of migration with the Bank's stated goals.
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