African returnees in international knowledge transfer: A social capital perspective

Abstract

In response to the fast growing number of African returnees and the important roles that they play in transferring international knowledge back to the African continent, this qualitative, exploratory study unpacks the role of African returnees in delivering international knowledge obtained from another social context of the Global South through their work and/or study experience, and identifies social factors that facilitate or hinder international knowledge transfer from a social capital perspective. Drawing on qualitative interview data collected from 20 Ghanaian returnees plus an expert interview, observation notes and archival data, we develop an enhanced social capital model in the Global South context. Our model strengthens the understanding of the role of diaspora in international knowledge transfer in general, and that of African returnees in knowledge transfer in the Global South in particular. Specifically, this study offers insights on the interconnections among the three dimensions of social structure (i.e., market relations, social relations and hierarchical relations), African returnees' relations in their social structure, the sources of social capital derived from social relations through opportunity, motivations and ability, and the value created for successful knowledge transfer as a result of the integrative effects of returnees' social capital.