Ten Years After EMIX: Comparative Insights from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe

Over the past two decades, the study of diaspora engagement policies has expanded significantly, yet comparative analyses across world regions remain limited. This paper revisits the Emigrant Policies Index (EMIX) ten years after its original formulation to assess its capacity to capture contemporary patterns of state–diaspora relations. Focusing on four regions (i.e., Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, Africa, and Europe) the paper addresses three interrelated questions: (1) Do we observe cross-regional patterns in the adoption and configuration of emigrant policies as measured by the EMIX? (2) How do these patterns compare with earlier typologies and trajectories identified in the literature? (3) To what extent does the EMIX require adaptation to account for new political contexts? Methodologically, the analysis draws on data from multiple complementary projects, including the original EMIX, the IMISEM datasets (2017 and 2024), and a 2020 extension of the EMIX in Africa. Combining these sources, allow for cross-sectional comparisons of emigrant policy mixes across regions. By situating the findings within the broader literature on diaspora engagement policies and transnationalism, the paper identifies areas of convergence and divergence in emigrant policies. The paper concludes by proposing adjustments to the EMIX to better capture evolving forms of diaspora governance in an increasingly complex and multi-level policy environment.