WELCOME to our second quarterly newsletter of 2020, keeping you up-to-date on our migration activities, events, and publications at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance. |
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NEWS FROM OUR NETWORKS |
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Migration Management and the Migration–Development Nexus (MIGNEX) 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-ever 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. At the beginning of 2020, the team began piloting and conducting field work in Afghanistan, Cabo Verde and Ghana. Several team members struggled to return home as coronavirus restrictions disrupted flights, but all the work was completed. Read more about how MIGNEX is adapting to the coronavirus crisis here. Stay updated with MIGNEX news by signing up for the MIGNEX newsletter. |
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ANNOUNCEMENTS |
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Prof. Melissa Siegel launches YouTube Channel Prof. Melissa Siegel has launched a YouTube channel on migration issues. The channel aims to bring knowledge on migration to a non-specialist audience. In this video for example, Prof. Siegel explains that there are different types of migrants and in this video, she shows why people decide to migrate and where to go. In addition, she interviews other migration scholars from her own team and other institutions on a number of topics. Watch the interviews with Prof. Hein de Haas about his new book “The Age of Migration” and with Prof. Khalid Koser on solutions for dealing with the current refugee situation. Furthermore, Prof. Siegel shares her experiences in teaching and conducting fieldwork. You can subscribe to the channel here. |
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NEW PROJECTS |
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France Médias Monde Project: Monitoring and Evaluation of infomigrants.net UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance were commissioned by France Médias Monde to carry out a monitoring and evaluation of the multimedia platform Infomigrants.net. The objective of the platform is to provide relevant, timely and accurate news and information in Arabic, French, English, Dari and Pashto to migrants in countries of origin, transit and destination. Infomigrants.net is co-funded by the European Commission, France Médias Monde, the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle and the Italian press agency ANSA. The project seeks to monitor and evaluate the progress and impact of the platform through media content analysis, focus groups and interviews with migrants in three countries: Egypt, France, and the Netherlands. The research will be carried out by Dr. Lisa Andersson, Dr. Katie Kuchminder, and researchers Mohammad Khalaf, Nasrat Sayed and Soha Youssef. |
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IOM Project: Iraqi minorities in diaspora A team at UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance has been commissioned by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) office in Iraq to research how ethno-religious communities in the Iraqi diaspora, , namely Christian and Yazidi communities, engage with Iraq and with diaspora community structures in countries of residence. The study focuses both on individual Iraqi migrants and on diaspora organisations/associations/businesses that are owned or founded by Iraqi migrants and/or focus on Iraq. The study maps diaspora organisations created by Iraqi migrants in selected focus countries, including Germany and the United States, and explores the role of organisations in supporting engagement with Iraq, including in aspects such as political participation and civic engagement, knowledge exchange, financial support, cultural exchange and reconciliation, and humanitarian relief. This assessment identifies barriers or constraints to engagement that reflect the contexts (e.g., legal environments, private sector ecosystems, limited social networks) in either country of residence or Iraq. The project also explores how Iraqi migrants, including ethnic and religious minorities, perceive the prospect of temporary or more long-term return to Iraq by analysing the factors that limit or encourage their future return intentions. The research team includes Eleni Diker, Mohammad Khalaf, Soha Youssef, and Dr. Michaella Vanore, who have so far completed focus group discussions, in-depth-interviews, and surveys among members of the Iraqi diaspora in the US and Germany. |
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MISTY Project: Migration, Transformation, Sustainability While the topics of sustainability and migration are both widely discussed, there is little understanding of the connections between the two. The project MISTY migration, transformation, sustainability seeks to explore the ways that migration interacts with sustainability concerns in destination cities, with an emphasis on the unrecognised benefits that it can bring. Drawing on research in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia, this five-year research project will support the emergence of a more empathetic and evidence-based approach to migration management in cities, emphasising opportunities for urban sustainability. Led by the University of Exeter, this multidisciplinary project is a collaboration between eight institutions. It is funded by the Belmont Forum Transformation to Sustainability programme under the UK Economic and Social Research Council. In February 2020, Dr. Sonja Fransen travelled to Ghana to participate in a consortium meeting to discuss the progress of the research project, the results from the first data that were collected in six cities (Accra, Amsterdam, Dhaka, Worcester, Brussels, and Maputo), and the planning for the coming years. |
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DRC Project: Networks-led national Diaspora dialogue in Europe UNU-MERIT and its School of Governance were recently commissioned by the Danish Refugee Council’s (DRC) Diaspora Programme to provide support within their “Networks-led national Diaspora dialogue in Europe” project. The aim of the project is to promote Syrian civil society and diaspora as constructive stakeholders for the future of Syria and in their countries of residence, by empowering Syrian networks in Europe to start national dialogues for Syrians in the diaspora on their role in their host country and towards Syria. The research component is headed by Eleni Diker and Nora Jasmin Ragab, who will provide technical support to the networks, while using the opportunity to document and analyse the country dialogues events, in order to generate lessons learned, successful practices, and recommendations aimed at empowering Syrian civil society organisations in their constructive engagement towards Syria and the host countries. |
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UPCOMING EVENTS |
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Impact of the coronavirus pandemic on events The restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic are impacting our events such as the migration seminar series, the Maastricht Migration Lecture Series, and others. No events have been scheduled for March and April 2020. Some of the planned events, including PhD defences, will be conducted online. Please find more on UNU-MERIT’s policy on the COVID-19 pandemic here. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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Maastricht Migration Lecture Series Five years after the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ reached the European continent, the topic is still widely debated. Media, politics and the public discuss intensive ways to deal with incoming migrants and to prevent migration in the future. However, many misconceptions exist around migration and joint solutions to the topic are lacking. With this lecture series, UNU-MERIT, the European Law Student Association, Refugee Project Maastricht, the Maastricht Young Academy (MYA), and the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) aim to provide an objective picture on the topic of migration and offer new insights. In a number of lectures, experts are invited to talk about topics such as myths and misconceptions in the area of migration. On 12 February 2020, Prof. Hein de Haas, gave a lecture entitled “Climate Refugees: The Fabrication of a Migration Threat” and on 3 March 2020 Prof. Khalid Koser discussed matters related to “Resolving the Global Refugee Crisis”. Planned lectures to be given by Dr. Ortrun Merkle, Prof. Mark Levels, Prof. Hildegard Schneider and Emeritus Prof. René de Groot, and Prof. Maarten Vink have been postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions. |
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Dr. Katie Kuschminder interviewed in Observant An interview with Dr. Katie Kuschminder was published in Maastricht University’s independent newspaper Observant, on 11 March 2020 as part of a series on the dilemmas related to scientific integrity. The series is jointly run with Maastricht University’s Platform for Research Ethics and Integrity, which aims to promote a healthy academic research culture. In the interview entitled “Giving money is not done, offering help is” Dr. Kuschminder discusses her experiences in conducting scientific interviews with migrants and common dilemmas faced by researchers in this type of situation. These include ensuring that migrants understand what it means to participate in a research project (and what it does not mean); implications of signing a consent form for the migrant and the researcher; relying on others to collect data; and alternatives to paying participants in order not to jeopardise the voluntariness of participation. The complete interview is available here. |
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PhD Defence: Ayla Bonfiglio On 20 February 2020, Ayla Bonfiglio successfully defended her PhD dissertation entitled “Student Migrant, Refugee or Both? Exploring Refugee Agency and Mobility through Tertiary Education in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda”. Tertiary education institutions in resettlement and asylum countries across the world are asking what role they can and should play in responding to today’s forced displacement crises. Examining the journeys of Congolese and Somali refugees and migrants, the dissertation finds that higher education impacts how refugees and migrants planned the timing of their exits from origin countries, their choice of destination, and the legal or irregular channels they used to enter and settle in destination countries. |
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Maastricht University Star Lecture: Prof. Melissa Siegel On 6 February 2020, Prof. Melissa Siegel gave a lecture on the “Myths and misconceptions around migration” in Brussels as part of the sixth edition of Maastricht University’s Star Lecture Series. This year, 14 lectures took place simultaneously in different cities across five countries. The series is organised for alumni and students and aims at (re)connecting with UM alumni as well as sharing academic insights and experiences. Prof. Siegel discussed 12 myths and misconceptions including for example the definition of migrants, drivers of migration, migration flows and trends. Watch Prof. Siegel’s entire lecture here. |
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Visit to the Swiss Development Cooperation On 9 January 2020, Prof. Melissa Siegel and Nava Hinrichs travelled to Bern, Switzerland to discuss past and future migration work with representatives of the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC). They gave a presentation about the research conducted by members of the Migration and Development Research Group on the impact of hosting Congolese Refugees in Rwanda, including how refugees affect social life in host communities, how refugee camps influence local labour market activity and economic welfare, and how the education of local children is influenced by living near a refugee camp. |
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Katie Kuschminder at the Migration Studies Delegation In February 2020, Dr. Katie Kuschminder gave a keynote speech at the Migration Studies Delegation (Delmi) in Stockholm, Sweden, on “Return Migration and Reintegration”. The workshop included an international group of experts on return migration and reintegration from Europe. Dr. Kuschminder provided an overview of trends and challenges in reintegration. Delmi is an independent committee that initiates studies and supplies research results as a basis for future migration policy decisions and to contribute to public debate. |
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Migration Seminars In conjunction with the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE), the Migration and Development research theme 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 institute and to invite external speakers to share their work. In 2020, we have so far hosted two speakers: Prof. Dr. Maarten Vink (FASoS, UM) who spoke about “Citizenship in the migrant life course: 10 observations on immigrant naturalisation” and Stephan Simon (visiting researcher at FASoS and MACIMIDE) who discussed “Immigration Policies and Political Support. A Survey Experiment in Germany”. More information about past and future events is available here. To join our mailing list and receive invitations to future seminars, or to express interest in delivering a seminar, please email seminar coordinator Veronika Georgieva. |
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TRAINING PROGRAMMES |
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Master of Science in Public Policy and Human Development 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. The application deadline for our next intake starting in September 2020 is 15 June for non EU-students and 15 July for EU students. You can find more information on our webpage. This short video film will give you a glimpse into what it is like to study at UNU-MERIT and Maastricht University from a student’s perspective. |
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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. Watch introduction videos for the course on our YouTube channel (internal migration/ forced migration). For further information, please contact Dr. Katrin Marchand. |
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New Publications Müller-Funk, L. & Fransen, S. (2020). Return aspirations and coerced return: A case study on Syrian refugees in Turkey and Lebanon. IMI Working Papers No. 162. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. Schewel, K. & Fransen, S. (2020). Who aspires to stay? Immobility aspirations among youth in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam. IMI Working Papers No. 161. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. Hooijen, Inge, Christoph Meng & Julia Reinold, 2020, Be prepared for the unexpected: The gap between (im)mobility intentions and subsequent behaviour of recent higher education graduates, Population Space and Place, 2313, More information Loschmann, Craig & Katrin Marchand, 2020, The labor market reintegration of returned refugees in Afghanistan, Small Business Economics, More information Fransen, S. & De Haas (2019). The Volume and Geography of Forced Migration. IMI Working Papers No. 156. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. Adger, N., Boyd, E., Fabos, A., Fransen, S., Jolivet, D., Neville, G., Safra de Campos, R., & Vijge, M. (2019). Migration transforms the conditions for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Lancet Planetary Health 3(11), 440-442. Diker, Eleni & Nora Jasmin Ragab, Nov 2019, Diaspora Mobilization in Contexts of Political Uncertainties: Exploring the potentials, limits and future roles of the Syrian civil society in the Middle East and Europe, Study commissioned by the Danish Refugee Council’s Civil Society Engagement Unit (CSEU), More information Diker, Eleni & Nora Jasmin Ragab, Nov 2019, Diaspora Mobilization in Contexts of Political Uncertainties - Exploring the potentials, limits and future roles of the Syrian civil society in the Middle East and Europe, comissioned by Danish Refugee Council’s Civil Society Engagement Unit (CSEU), More information Bilgili, Özge & Sonja Fransen, 2019, Return, Reintegration and the Role of State, Migration & Integration 8-Dialog zwischen Politik, Wissenschaft und Praxis, 8 |
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Photo Credits: H. Pijpers, S. Brodin, M. Siegel, K. Kuschminder, N. Hinrichs, [16] Jamil Ghafuri, [20] Flickr: Albertogp123 |
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