UNU Newsletter on Migration

Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT are recruiting 2 PhD Researchers and 1 Post-Doctoral Researcher to work with Dr. Katie Kuschminder on the ERC Starting Grant funded Reintegrate project. The Reintegrate project will study the governance of how return migrants are reintegrated into societies upon their return. The project will develop a conceptual understanding of reintegration governance, its implementation, and effectiveness and a new theoretical model of how different forms of reintegration governance shape returnees’ reintegration experiences and outcomes. The four country case studies to assess the different forms of reintegration governance are Ethiopia, Morocco, Nepal and Serbia. Applications can be submitted online via Academic Transfer. If you are interested in a position as PhD Researcher, you can apply via this link. If you are interested in the position as Post-Doctoral Researcher, you can apply here. The application deadline for all positions is 8 July 2021.

The Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) is the interdisciplinary research platform of Maastricht University that brings together scholars working in the fields of migration, mobility, citizenship, development and family life.

The next edition of MACIMIDE’s multidisciplinary Annual Conference will take place on 23 September 2021. This year’s conference will be organised in cooperation with the Dutch Association for Migration Research (DAMR) to promote exchange and interdisciplinarity. Both DAMR and MACIMIDE members are invited to attend and can now register. You can find the registration form and additional information about the venue and programme here.

MIGNEX is a five-year research project (2018–2023) with the core ambition of creating new knowledge on migration, development and policy. MIGNEX is the largest European-funded research project on migration, involving researchers from nine institutions in Europe, Africa and Asia. UNU-MERIT and the Faculty of Law at Maastricht University are part of the consortium led by Prof. Jørgen Carling at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in Norway.

Data collection is finally picking up speed after some disruption due to COVID-19 and is expected to be completed by October this year. You can find an overview of the data collection progress in the ten focus countries here. On 25 May 2021, the MIGNEX team contributed to the public webinar “Ensuring comparability in cross-national research on migration”, hosted by TRAFIG as part of the “Zooming in on Migration and Asylum” webinar series.

The University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS) is currently implementing the research project “Sustainable and socially acceptable labour migration management” in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Georgia, Germany, Kosovo and Vietnam. In the context of this project, Dr. Elaine Lebon-McGregor and Dr. Katrin Marchand have been commissioned to develop a training concept and module on fair and ethical recruitment tailored to the specific contexts of Georgia, Kosovo and Vietnam. The team is currently conducting a needs assessment in consultation with government officials in each of these countries.

The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has commissioned Dr. Ortrun Merkle and Talitha Dubow to conduct a short-term research assignment to support the provision of a gender-sensitive response to the needs of refugees and migrants in and around reception centres in the Western Balkans. Specifically, the project will assess gender dimensions and gaps in the activities of GIZ’s partner organisations and research good practices on gender approaches in refugee response actions outside the Western Balkans region. It will also develop the capacity of partner organisations to understand gender-transformative potentials better and integrate new approaches into their work. The final task of the consultancy and the main product to be developed is a tailor-made and context-specific approach/toolbox for working with refugees and migrants that can be tested and used during the project implementation phase.

An interfaculty team of migration researchers at Maastricht University, including UNU-MERIT’s Prof. Melissa Siegel, PhD fellow Julia Reinold and communications officer Sueli Brodin, has won one of Maastricht University’s Diversity and Inclusivity grants. The project “Segregating the Migrant Community: Expats x Migrants” invites people to think about and question the labels they put on others by zooming into the distinction made between migrants and expats. For this project, 20 foreign workers will be selected to be included in a photo exhibit. The exhibit will showcase how people who identify either as migrants or expats may not look so different. Additionally, an expert panel will be organised on the theme of migrant identity. This project aims to foster a dialogue on this important issue and finding better ways that Maastricht University can contribute to the inclusion and protection of the migrant community.

During the academic year 2020/2021, the Migration and Development research group at UNU-MERIT (in conjunction with MACIMIDE) hosted 12 seminars on diverse topics around migration studies and human mobility. You can watch several seminars on our YouTube channel here. The most recent seminars were given by Dr. Nicholas R. Micinski from the University of Maine and Prof. Antoine Pécoud from the University of Sorbonne Paris Nord. Dr. Micinski explored the key findings of his recent book “UN Global Compacts: Governing Migrants and Refugees” and Prof. Pécoud presented a study on “Philosophies of Migration Governance in a Globalizing World”. There will be no seminars in July and August; the series will resume in September 2021. To join our mailing list and receive invitations for future seminars or express interest in delivering a seminar, please email seminar coordinator Soha Youssef.

On 26 June 2021, Dr. Elaine Lebon-McGregor participated in a roundtable discussion at the Academic Council on the United Nations System Annual Meeting (ACUNS). The roundtable was chaired by Prof. Daniel Naujoks, Interim Director of the International Organization and UN Studies Specialization and Lecturer of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. The panellists discussed the importance of country-level processes involving international organisations and implications for a multi-level study of global governance. Elaine's contribution drew on her doctoral research on the evolution of migration as a global policy issue, her research on the role of money in migration governance and ongoing research with Dr. Michal Natorski on “Projects as Governance”.

In a recent episode of the Universiteit van Nederland, Prof. Melissa Siegel discusses some of the most common misconceptions about migration. In doing so, she emphasises why many of our ideas about migration are wrong and that migration is a normal part of life. During the talk, Prof. Siegel explains who migrants are, the common reasons for migrating, and how they may overlap. Furthermore, she discusses some statistics about migration, including the most important countries of origin and destination, and the relationship between the actual sizes of migrant populations and the public perceives them. The Universiteit van Nederland is devoted to giving the world access to research and science. In cooperation with all Dutch universities, this initiative records video lectures and podcasts to answer thought-provoking questions.

On 25 June 2021, Eliana Rubiano-Matulevich successfully defended her dissertation with the title "Essays on Conflict-Induced Displacement and Gender in Colombia". The defence took place on-site and was live-streamed. In her research, Eliana applied a gender lens to the empirical analysis of the impacts of (internal) displacement in Colombia, such as household structures, poverty, gender roles and norms. She finds that displacement can reduce household size, increase poverty and the prevalence of single female caregivers and one-person households. Displaced women work more hours than their male partners, are more likely to be the main breadwinners, and prone to participating in political organisations. Eliana participated in UNU-MERIT’s Dual Career Training Programme to obtain a PhD in Governance and Policy Analysis (GPAC²). You can read more about Eliana’s research and her experience of combining a PhD with a full-time job and having a family in this interview with her and her supervisors, Prof. Melissa Siegel, Dr. Lisa Andersson and Dr. Ortrun Merkle.

About a year ago, Prof. Melissa Siegel launched her YouTube channel  to prioritise research communication on migration in a way that is accessible to non-experts. Country case studies that were added to her channel most recently cover the United Kingdom and India. Furthermore, Prof. Siegel published shorter snapshots on Greece, Denmark, Italy and Spain. In addition, she explains "Why you shouldn't use the term 'Brain Drain'!", introduces the platform RemitSCOPE and the Observatory of Public Attitudes to Migration, and discusses the effects of COVID-19 on remittances in 2020.

IMISCOE recently interviewed Prof. Siegel about her YouTube channel. Read here about how and why she came up with the idea for the channel, who it is mainly intended for, and how it has developed since the launch in February 2020.

PhD fellow Julia Reinold was recently interviewed for the UNpacked podcast. In the episode “Should I stay or should I go?”, Julia talked about her research on attracting and retaining highly educated migrants in Maastricht and its cross-border region. The UNpacked podcast was founded by a group of students enrolled in UNU-MERIT’s Master’s programme in Public Policy and Human Development (MPP) to share the latest news and views on a range of topical global issues with staff and students from UNU-MERIT.

In May, Prof. Melissa Siegel was interviewed by Louis Morgner for the SBE Podcast. The podcast shares stories of interesting people all around the School of Business and Economics (SBE) of Maastricht University. In the episode entitled “Demystifying Common Myths About Migration”, Prof. Siegel discussed both her own migration and career journey, as well as some of the myths that exist surrounding migration and how research can impact policy around migration. You can also watch the interview on YouTube.

Dr. Katie Kuschminder published a news article on The Conversation, zooming in on illegal pushbacks where refugees and migrants are forced back over a border without consideration of their circumstances or any chance to apply for asylum. She touches on the European Anti-Fraud Office’s investigation into Frontex, which claims that the organisation is involved in illegally preventing migrants and refugees from entering the EU. Dr. Kuschminder’s research found that pushbacks violate international law and do not necessarily stop migration, since refugees and other migrants often persevere despite failed attempts. She states that we should be alarmed that an EU agency is engaging in pushbacks. Additionally, Frontex’s expanded mandate, among other things making it responsible for monitoring returns of migrants, is concerning. She asks the question: “How will fundamental rights of refugees and other migrants be protected when the agency responsible for upholding them is also complicit in breaching them?”

Two professors and a Master’s alumna from UNU-MERIT have won the RWB Jackson Award 2021 for the most outstanding English-language article published in the Canadian Journal of Education. The article, titled “The Use of a Multidimensional Support Model to Examine Policies and Practices for Immigrant Students across Canada”, was co-authored by UNU-MERIT’s Prof. Louis Volante, MPP alumna Camila Lara, and Prof. Melissa Siegel, as well as by Prof. Don Klinger from the University of Waikato. The article states that ministries and departments in Canada should develop a stand-alone policy document to address the needs of immigrant students and devote more attention to the socio-economic challenges faced by immigrant students. According to the authors, these measures would also address the importance of greater policy coherence and collaboration among ministry sectors. Louis Volante previously won this award in 2005.

The Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development programme is a double-degree programme of University Nations University institute UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University. The programme provides students with a variety of skills, tools and knowledge, which enables them to work as policy designers and policy analysts in public and private institutions. The programme offers seven different specialisations, including Migration Studies. You can find a portrait of our former student Soha Youssef and her experiences specialising in Migration Studies here. For non-EU/EEA students, the application deadline for the academic year 2021/22 has already passed. EU/EEA-students can still apply until 15 July 2021.

The Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP) is a capacity-building programme offered by UNU-MERIT since 2013. The MMDP is a three-month programme in which participants can study issues related to migration management and protection, migration and development, and migration policy. The MMDP Spring 2021 was delivered entirely online with the financial assistance of the European Union, contracted by ICMPD through the Mobility Partnership Facility, and co-financed by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ). The number of participants in this cohort was 35 students from 14 different countries. The upcoming MMDP autumn 2021 cohort will also be delivered entirely online from 20 September to 10 December. Find more information here.

For those who are interested but do not have the time to take a full-time course in migration studies, UNU-MERIT offers a number of specially designed online courses to suit the needs of busy professionals. We currently 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. Watch introduction videos for the course on our YouTube channel (internal migration/ forced migration). For further information, please contact Dr. Katrin Marchand.

Rubiano-Matulevich, E. (2021). Essays on conflict-induced displacement and gender in Colombia. Boekenplan, More information

Meshkovska, Biljana, Arjan E. R. Bos & Melissa Siegel, 2021, Long-term (re)integration of persons trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, International Review of Victimology, Online, More information

Dubow, Talitha, Sze Eng Tan & Katherine Kuschminder, Jun 2021, EU Exit Regimes in Practice: Sustainable Return and Reintegration in Albania, ADMIGOV Interim Report for Deliverable 2.4, More information

Siruno, Lalaine, 2021, ‘We are Filipinos, we do bayanihan, we help each other’: undocumented migrants in the Netherlands during COVID, London School of Economics - COVID-19 Blog, More information

Photo Credits: H. Pijpers, S. Brodin, M. Siegel, K. Kuschminder, [6] Tetsuro Miyazaki, [19] Flickr: Albertogp123