How Local and Global Contexts Shape the Pakistani Non-Profit Sector in Toronto and New York

• In Event: 242 - Section on International Migration Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 18. Civic Engagement

Abstract

This paper compares the non-profit organizational infrastructure of Pakistani immigrants in the two largest Pakistani migrant destination cities in North America: Toronto and New York. The paper explores two questions: 1)How do local government integration policies/philosophies affect the size, diversity and scope of the Pakistani non-profit sector in two different places of settlement? 2)To what extent and how does the global “war on terror” impact the behavior of Pakistani immigrant non-profit organizations(NPOs) in Toronto and New York City? Using a newly constructed dataset of all NPOs serving Pakistani immigrants in both cities, I compare the size, diversity (types of services) and scope (local vs. transnational) of the two organizational spaces. Additionally, this paper uses data gleaned from in-depth interviews with organization leaders, government officials and key informants to understand how the global “war on terror” impacts Pakistani organizations “on the ground” and to what extent such experiences vary across the two cities. Findings reveal areas of convergence and divergence between the two cities. While Canadian multiculturalism is associated with a slightly larger and more diverse Toronto-based Pakistani non-profit sector, the NYC sector is dominated by religious organizations and tends to be more transnational in scope. Interview data suggest that while the effects of the “War on Terror” have been more pronounced in NYC, organizations in both cities adapt their behaviors to combat stigma by ensuring high levels of organizational transparency. This transparency, in turn raises administrative costs and tends to hurt smaller grass-roots organizations more than larger established organizations.

Authors

• Ali Razzak Chaudhary, University of California-Davis

• Luis Eduardo Guarnizo, University of California-Davis