WELCOME to our first quarterly newsletter of 2016, keeping you up-to-date on our migration activities, events and publications at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. | ||
ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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UNU Migration Network In 2016, UNU-MERIT will take over the coordination of the United Nations University Migration Network. The Network was established with the objective of encouraging collaboration and the sharing of knowledge between the different United Nations University institutions across the world. UNU-GCM in Barcelona has been coordinating the network since its inception. Significant developments include the launch of the UNU Migration Network website which pulls together the projects and publications of researchers within the network, and the UNU Migration Network joining the Global Migration Group (GMG) in June 2014. The coordination role of the network will now rotate to UNU-MERIT. Dr. Melissa Siegel will be the new coordinator of the UNU Migration Network, with Elaine McGregor acting as the assistant coordinator. The handover will take place at the next UNU Migration Network meeting in Barcelona in January 2016 |
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Dutch Association for Migration Research In January 2016, Dr. Özge Bilgili will be officially appointed as the chairman of the Dutch Association for Migration Research (DAMR) for a period of at least two years. DAMR aims to increase the scientific standing of migration research by emphasising on research methodology, theory formation and attention for the societal relevance of migration research. A specific objective of the association is to bring together PhD candidates and young researchers to stimulate interaction and scientific discussion. DAMR is an interdisciplinary association in which different disciplines covering the broad field of migration come together. In this way, the association seeks to stimulate interdisciplinary and inter-university research. For more information, visit http://damr.eu/ |
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NEW PROJECTS |
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Asylum-Related Migration Flows to the EU In early November 2015, the migration group began a project in collaboration with IOM's Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC) for the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) on the factors that influence asylum-related migration flows to the EU. This project provides a systematic review of past literature and evidence on the factors that influence migration flows into the EU for asylum purposes. Given the migration management crisis that has confronted much of Europe over the past year, this project will feed into a knowledge base that can help scholars and policy makers alike to establish more evidence-based predictive frameworks for asylum-based mobility patterns. |
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UNDP-ICMPD Position Paper In 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). In 2012, a second MoU was signed to expand the scope of cooperation. In order to further develop cooperation between the two organisations, UNDP has commissioned Dr. Melissa Siegel and Elaine McGregor to map the activities of each organisation and to draw up a position paper on migration and development that can be used to inform the future direction of cooperation. At the beginning of December 2015, Elaine McGregor visited the UNDP Regional Hub, which recently relocated from Bratislava, Slovakia to Istanbul, Turkey to begin interviewing relevant stakeholders. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Labour Market Impacts of Forced Migration On 21 January, the final workshop for the Labour Market Impacts of Forced Migration (LAMFOR) project will take place at the UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva. The purpose of the workshop is to share the main findings of the project to policymakers, NGOs, academics and others interested in the economic impact of forced migration. The LAMFOR project is a three year project looking at the economic implications of forced migration situations. The project looked at two different case studies in the African Great Lakes Region: Burundi and Tanzania. The analysis is based on quantitative analysis of new panel datasets with longitudinal information on those left behind, IDPs, refugees and their hosts. The project is funded by the IZA Institute for The Study of Labor and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). |
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IMISCOE Conference The International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe (IMISCOE) Standing Committee on Interactions of Migrant Integration and Transnationalism in Europe (IMITE) will organise two parallel sessions in the next Annual IMISCOE Conference (Prague 30 June – 2 July 2016). This double session will encourage migration researchers to look at the linkages and interactions between processes of integration and migrants’ engagements in transnational development-related activities. The call for papers for the sessions "The interactions between integration and migrants’ transnational development activities" will be distributed in early 2016. For more information on IMITE and specific questions, contact Dr. Özge Bilgili. |
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Migration Seminars In conjunction with MACIMIDE, the Migration and Development research group at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance organises a series of migration-related seminars to provide a platform to discuss the research output of researchers at the School and to invite external speakers to share their work. The series will recommence in 2016 on 20 January with a presentation by PhD fellow Floris Peters (Maastricht University/Statistics Netherlands) who will present “A Life Course Perspective on the Citizenship Premium: the Case of the Netherlands” at 12.30 in the conference room (0.16/0.17) of Boschstraat 24. On 17 February, Adrian Shin (University of Michigan) will present “Government of the People? Right-wing Populism and Immigration Policy” and on 16 March, Prof. Dr. Khalid Koser will present on a topic to be announced. To join our mailing list and receive invitations to future seminars, or to express interest in delivering a seminar, please email Dr. Michaella Vanore. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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Roundtable: Diaspora and Peace: What Role for Development Cooperation? On 10 December, 2015, Dr. Melissa Siegel, PhD fellow Nora Ragab, and Dr. Michaella Vanore attended the roundtable event Diaspora and Peace: What Role for Development Cooperation?, for which they had prepared a background report on the role of diasporas in peace building activities in conflict-affected and fragile states. The event and report were commissioned by GiZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, the German Corporation for International Cooperation) and held at their headquarters in Eschborn, Germany. The roundtable, which was well-attended by development cooperation practitioners, representatives of diaspora organisations, and academics, focused on how the activities of the diaspora in conflict-affected countries of origin could be facilitated and enhanced by development cooperation. |
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Supporting a Development Sensitive and Coherent Turkish Migration Policy In the last edition of our Quarterly Migration Newsletter, we reported on contributions made to the Sessiz Destek / Support of a Development Sensitive and Coherent Turkish Migration Policy Project which is coordinated by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). As part of our ongoing collaboration, Elaine McGregor, on 9 December 2015, presented the first edition of programming guidelines prepared with Dr. Ozge Bilgili to assist the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) in developing and implementing the recently introduced Law on Foreigners and International Protection. On 10-11 December 2015, Elaine McGregor, along with Amy Hong, Policy Analyst at the OECD, participated in a workshop entitled ‘Coherence between Migration and Development Policies’. |
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ENIGMMA Project in Georgia From 19-22 October 2015, Dr. Melissa Siegel and Dr. Michaella Vanore participated in the autumn migration studies week of the ENIGMMA project in Tbilisi, Georgia. ENIGMMA—Enhancing Georgia’s Migration Management—is a joint initiative of the European Union Delegation to Georgia, civil society, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The ENIGMMA project focuses on enhancing the capacities of Georgian authorities related to integrated border management and migration, and to this end education is an important component. In the ENIGMMA autumn migrations studies week, Dr. Siegel and Dr. Vanore delivered lectures and seminars to students at Tbilisi State University on introductory issues in migration studies and social science research methods in migration studies. |
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PhD Defence: Borders, Independence and Post-Colonial Ties On 20 November Simona Vezzoli elegantly defended her PhD thesis entitled ‘Borders, independence and post-colonial ties: The role of the state in Caribbean migration’. Her dissertation explores the effects of border regimes on the timing, direction and composition of migration flows to test the assumption that open borders necessarily lead to more migration. Using the three Guianas (Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana) as case studies, the study examines their diverse emigration patterns to shed light on the role of border regimes using a variety of different research methods. Dr. Vezzoli has since accepted a posting at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) in the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences. |
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TRAINING PROGRAMMES |
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Migration Management Diploma Programme: Applications Open Three years ago, the Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP) accepted its first cohort of students. We are now welcoming applications from government officials and civil society representatives from 42 developing countries with experience in the field of migration management. Applications for non-EU passport holders are being accepted until 16 January 2016 and from EU passport holders until 16 February 2016. Scholarships for students in this programme are provided to government officials with three or more years of working experience on a migration management topic by the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Please apply here. If you are interested in receiving further information about the programme please email or visit our website. |
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Online Courses For those who are interested but do not have the time to take a full time course in migration studies, UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance offer a number of specially designed online courses to suit the needs of busy professionals. Currently we offer three courses that can be started at any time: 1) Introduction to Migration Studies; 2) Migration and Remittance Effects; and 3) Comparative Migration Policy. Keep an eye on our website for the launch of a new online course in early 2016 on Internal Migration by Prof. Ronald Skeldon and on Forced Migration later in the year. Watch introduction videos for the course on our YouTube channel (internal migration / forced migration). |
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NEW PUBLICATIONS |
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Bilgili, Özge, 2015, Economic Integration to Send Money Back Home?, Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Volume 13, Issue 4, Access Article Bilgili, Özge & Melissa Siegel, 2015, Migration and Development: A World in Motion - The Netherlands Country Profile, IS Academy Survey: the Netherlands, Access Report Bilgili, Özge, 2015, Evaluating impact: Lessons learned from robust evaluations of labour market integration policies, Migrant Integration Policy Index 2015, Access Report Bilgili, Özge & Melissa Siegel, 2015, To return permanently or to return temporarily? Explaining migrants’ intentions, Migration and Development, Access Article Cebotari, Victor & Valentina Mazzucato, 2015, Educational performance of children of migrant parents in Ghana, Nigeria and Angola, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Access Article Engelhardt, Achim, Andreas Fischlin, Ilona Kick-busch, Melissa Siegel & Pierre Walther, 2015, Evaluation of SDC’s Global Programmes Climate Change; Water Initiatives; Food Security; Migration and Development and Health, Commissioned by SDC, Access Report Fransen, Sonja, 2015, The Socio-Economic Sustainability of Refugee Return: Insights from Burundi, Population, Space and Place, Access Article McGregor, Elaine & Katrin Marchand, 2015, Independent Mid-Term Evaluation of Promoting the Effective Governance of Labour Migration from South Asia (SALM) Project (ILO), Access Report Vanore, Michaella, Nora Ragab & Melissa Siegel, 2016, Roundtable: Diaspora and Peace: What Role for Development Cooperation? Background Paper. Access Paper Vezzoli, Simona, 2015, Borders, independence and post-colonial ties: The role of the state in Caribbean migration, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University, Access Dissertation Weyel, Silja, Craig Loschmann & Melissa Siegel, 2015, Migration and Development: A World in Motion - Morocco Country Report, IS Academy survey Morocco, Access Report |
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Photo Credits: H. Pijpers, S. Brodin, M. Siegel, E. McGregor, S. Fransen, Flickr: Albertogp123 | ||
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