Ana Lopez Garcia awarded NWO Open Competition XS grant for research on diaspora finance and climate resilience

Ana Lopez Garcia has been awarded a €50,000 grant through the NWO SSH Open Competition XS. The funding supports innovative, high-risk research ideas that can lead to new scientific insights.

Her project, Diaspora Finance for Climate Resilience in Fragile States, explores how diaspora communities can help finance climate resilience without unintentionally weakening fragile governments.

When disasters strike, diaspora communities are often among the first to send financial support to family and friends. While these contributions are essential, they can also reduce support for public institutions by replacing state services, and even fuel violence. Ana's research investigates how climate resilience projects can be designed to encourage diaspora contributions while at the same strengthening diaspora’s in trust in their governments and local communities.

Using an online survey experiment with Haitian and Somali diaspora communities in Canada, the project compares two fragile-state contexts to identify which institutional features can effectively support climate resilience across different settings.

About the grant

The NWO SSH Open Competition XS programme provides funding of up to €50,000 for promising research ideas, allowing researchers to develop innovative projects over a period of six months to two years. 

Also read