NEWS FROM OUR NETWORKS NEWS FROM OUR NETWORKS |
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Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) 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. In June and July 2018, Clotilde Mahé, Zvezda Vankova, and Pauline Melin successfully defended their PhD theses as part of the European-funded project ’Transnational Migration, Citizenship and the Circulation of Rights and Responsibilities’ (TRANSMIC). Furthermore, MACIMIDE fellow and Maastricht University Assistant Professor Bilisuma Dito represented MACIMIDE at the H2020 Cross Migration event ‘Towards Systematic Knowledge Accumulation in Migration Studies’ on 31 May-1 June 2018 in Florence, Italy. |
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Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross-border cooperation and Mobility The Institute for Transnational and Euregional cross-border cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) is an expertise centre at the convergence of research, counselling, knowledge exchange, and training activities in the domain of cross-border mobility and cooperation. Complementary to the research centre MACIMIDE, ITEM conducts interdisciplinary research within the scope of cross-border Euregional mobility and cooperation issues, focusing on practical solutions for these issues. Members of the Migration Group are regularly involved in ITEM projects. Currently, Prof. Melissa Siegel and PhD fellow Julia Reinold are involved in 3-year European-funded INTERREG project that aims at connecting cross-border services and improving the welcoming culture for newcomers in the Euregio Meuse-Rhine. Furthermore, Julia Reinold contributes to a project evaluating the experiences of cross-border workers between the Netherlands and Germany. |
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NEW PROJECTS |
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Aligning Migration Management and the Migration–Development Nexus UNU-MERIT and MACIMIDE are part of a consortium led by Prof. Jørgen Carling at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) which will carry out what is probably the largest-ever European-funded research project on migration, set to start work in September 2018. The project ‘Aligning Migration Management and the Migration-Development Nexus’ (MIGNEX) will be carried out over the course of five years. It aims at forging new connections between two policy fields: how migration is regulated, and how migration and development affect each other. The responsibilities of UNU-MERIT and MACIMIDE led by Prof Melissa Siegel and Prof Hildegard Schneider include developing new methods for measuring the development impacts of migration, assessing coherence between the legal framework and policy instruments, and evaluation of the overall European approach to third-country cooperation on migration.
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GIZ Project: Analysis of potential African partner countries for labour mobility schemes to Germany UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance were recently commissioned by the German Development Cooperation Office (GIZ) to carry out an analysis on the labour markets, TVET-systems and migration profiles of Senegal, Nigeria and Ethiopia. The desk study shall provide the basis for decision-taking on potential partner countries, sectors and target groups for labour mobility schemes to Germany. In addition, it shall provide information regarding potential criteria and formats of labour mobility schemes taking into account current German labour market needs and legal framework conditions. These labour mobility schemes could focus on employment and/or training of people from different educational levels. At the same time, they aim at maximising the development potential for partner countries by stimulating brain gain and preventing potential brain drain. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Migration Seminars In conjunction with the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE), the Migration 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. In the 2017/18 academic year, we hosted 16 academics and practitioners from the migration and development field. These speakers addressed a range of topics within the migration thematic area, including topics such as: The Economics of Walls and Fences, Determinants and Dynamics of Forced Migration Flows, Mental Health Stressors Among Undocumented Young Adults in the United States, Syrian refugees in Jordan, Migration and Violent extremism, Interrelations between public policies, migration and development, and many others. The series will start again in September 2018. To join our mailing list and receive invitations to future seminars, or to express interest in delivering a seminar, please email Charlotte Mueller. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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DAMR Spring Event 2018 The Dutch Association for Migration Research (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. On 7 May 2018, the DAMR Spring Event took place in Utrecht as part of the ‘EU at the Crossroads of Migration Conference: Critical reflections on the ‘refugee crisis’ and new migration deals’ hosted by DAMR, the Utrecht Centre for Regulation and Enforcement in Europe (RENFORCE) and the Utrecht Centre for Global Challenges (UGlobe). Dr Özge Bilgili organised a panel titled ‘Evidence and reflections on the (structural) integration of refugees in the Netherlands’ during which MACIMIDE fellow Dr Floris Peters presented his work on the relevance of citizenship for the economic integration of immigrants in the Netherlands. |
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Vulnerability, Protection, and Agency: An Interdisciplinary Conference on Migration From 24-25 May 2018, the University of Oslo (UiO) and the Peace Research Institute of Oslo (PRIO) organised an interdisciplinary conference entitled ‘Vulnerability, Protection, and Agency’ in Oslo, Norway. The aim of the conference was to bring together scholars, policy-makers and practitioners from different fields to discuss issues related to irregular migration and consequences for migrant rights and protections. Clara Alberola, Vittorio Bruni and Harres Yakubi presented their working paper ‘Vulnerabilities to corruption during the migration journey’, co-authored with PhD fellow Ortrun Merkle and Prof. Melissa Siegel. The paper investigates migrants’ diverse experiences of corruption along the Western and Central Mediterranean routes, focusing especially on gendered experiences of corruption. The paper was presented in the panel ‘Precarity and agency in transnational lives’, chaired by Prof. Jørgen Carling. The presentation was met with great interest and prompted an interesting debate. |
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13th Summer Institute on Migration and Global Health From 18-21 June 2018, Prof. Melissa Siegel and PhD fellow Inez Roosen attended the 13th Summer Institute on Migration and Global Health in Oakland, California, USA. Organised by UC Berkeley, the Summer Institute was a unique international event offering researchers, faculty, graduate students, and professionals the opportunity to learn about the most relevant topics related to migration and global health. Through a combination of lectures and workshops, participants received the latest information on issues that affect mobile populations around the world while also acquiring research skills; and possibilities to network with national and international experts on public health, public policy, and social science. During this even, Prof. Siegel had the opportunity to give a presentation on the Migration Group’s research related to health entitled ‘Migration & Health: Focus on those who stay behind’ |
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Workshop Maastricht Centre for Global Health On 29 June 2018, the Migration Group as partner of the Maastricht Centre for Global Health (MC4GH) co-organised the first MC4GH workshop titled ‘Migration, human rights, and health; Is science 'value-free' in defining policy solutions?’ During this workshop, researchers from different disciplines such as migration, development, health sciences and human rights discussed their current work and approach to global health research. Participants also explored how ‘hidden’ values manifest in our academic work around global health issues, tensions this might cause in interdisciplinary cooperation, and ways to overcome these. Prof. Melissa Siegel gave a presentation entitled ‘Linking migration and health research’ as part of a dialectic exchange between the disciplines on how to further some common global health agendas in these fields. |
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15th Annual Conference of IMISCOE UNU-MERIT and MACIMIDE researchers presented their work at the 15th Annual Conference of International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion in Europe (IMISCOE) in Barcelona on 2-4 July 2018. This year’s conference focused on ‘Europe, Migrations and the Mediterranean: Human Mobilities and Intercultural Challenges’. Dr. Katie Kuschminder chaired a panel titled ‘Deconstructing the border and reception of asylum seekers' in Italy’ during which she presented findings on Eritrean asylum seekers' (im)mobility. Moreover, she shared her experiences doing fieldwork in Italy in a semi-plenary led by Prof. Jørgen Carling on ‘Managing relationships in research on Mediterranean migration’. Dr. Özge Bilgili co-organised two panels on ‘New empirical research on interactions between integration and transnationalism’. PhD fellow Julia Reinold presented a paper co-authored with Inge Hooijen and Dr. Christoph Meng on the relationship between recent graduates’ mobility intentions and actual behaviour. In addition, she chaired a session entitled ‘Migration and Corruption: Exploring a new field’ during which Clara Alberola presented her work on gendered experiences of migration during transit and Kostas Papangelopoulos discussed the impact of migration experiences on perceptions of corruption. |
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PhD Defence: Clotilde Mahé On 22 June 2018, TRANSMIC fellow, Clotilde Mahé successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled ‘Essays on Migration and Occupational Choice’. Motivated by the growing interest in migration as an economic and social phenomenon, this thesis explores several aspects of the relationship between migration and occupational choice. Consisting of four self-contained essays, findings suggest that, while migration might develop entrepreneurial abilities, self-employment tends to be more of a temporary choice when market-supporting institutions are lacking. Turning to those who stay behind, the return of migrant household members appears to alter the time allocation of non-migrating members, spouses, even once migration is complete. Last, publicly provided healthcare is shown to condition migration, directly or indirectly, through effects on the labour force. |
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Migration Management Diploma Programme: Graduation Ceremomy On 22 June 2018, UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance celebrated the successful conclusion of the sixth Migration Management Diploma Programme (MMDP). The Closing Ceremony took place at the Grand Cafe Soiron, Maastricht and recognised the 14 migration practitioners who have participated in the MMPD this year. The MMDP is a 3-month programme in which migration practitioners from around the world come to Maastricht to study both theoretical and practical issues related to migration management, migration and development and migration policy. Participants this year came from nine countries, representing the Balkan region, the South Caucasus, East, West and South Africa and South Asia. The programme is funded by both the Swiss Development Cooperation and the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice and is implemented by MGSoG. |
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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. 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. Keep an eye on our website for our online courses on Internal Migration and on Forced Migration by Prof. Ronald Skeldon. Watch introduction videos for the course on our YouTube channel (internal migration/ forced migration). For further information, please contact Katrin Marchand. |
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New Publications Bilgili, Özge & Craig Loschmann, 2018, Refugees and host communities in the Rwandan labour market. Forced Migration Review, 58, June 2018, More information Mahé, Clotilde , 2018, Essays on Migration and Occupational Choice, PhD dissertation Maastricht University / United Nations University Volante, Louis, Don A. Klinger & Melissa Siegel, 2018, The secrets of immigrant student success, The Conversation, More information Kuschminder, Katherine, Lisa Andersson & Melissa Siegel, 2018, Migration and multidimensional well-being in Ethiopia: investigating the role of migrants destinations, Migration and Development, More information Roosen, Inez & Melissa Siegel, 2018, Migration and its influence on the knowledge and usage of birth control methods among Afghan women who stay behind, Public Health, 158, More information Fransen, Sonja, Carlos Vargas-Silva & Melissa Siegel, 2018, The impact of refugee experiences on education: evidence from Burundi, IZA Journal of Development and Migration, 8, More information Bilgili, Özge, Craig Loschmann & Melissa Siegel, 2018, The Gender-Based Effects of Displacement: The Case of Congolese Refugees in Rwanda , KNOMAD Working Paper 21, More information Reinold, Julia, 2018, Migration and Education: International Student Mobility, Tijdschrift VN Forum, 2017-2, More information Merkle, Ortrun, Apr 2018, Tijdschrift VN Forum, 2017-2 (Migration and Development), More information Mueller, Charlotte, 2018, , NVVN Edition Migration and Development, More information |
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