WELCOME to our first quarterly newsletter of 2021, keeping you up-to-date on our migration activities, events, and publications at UNU-MERIT | ||
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. The next edition of MACIMIDE’s multidisciplinary Annual Conference will take place on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 September 2021. Last year’s edition was cancelled due to COVID-19. Details will be communicated on the MACIMIDE website later this year. |
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UNU Migration Network The United Nations Migration Network, currently chaired by Prof. Melissa Siegel and Dr. Katie Kuschminder of UNU-MERIT, launched a blog series ‘Migration, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic’ in late 2020. As a build-up to International Migrants Day on 18 December 2020, this series brought together UNU’s collaborative expertise to explore the interrelations and acute challenges of migration, climate change, and health. The series examines these connections at local and global levels, highlights the implications for migrants, and provides evidence-based insights for United Nations member states, governments, and policymakers. The network also hosted two webinars at the end of 2020: The Introduction to the International Migration Special Issue on ‘Conceptualizing and Contextualizing Reintegration’, co-organised by Dr. Katie Kuschminder, and the launch of the book ‘Regional Integration and Migration Governance in the Global South’, which was co-edited by Dr. Katrin Marchand. |
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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. On 24 November 2020, Prof. Melissa Siegel moderated the webinar ‘Does development drive or curb migration? Implications for policymaking’. The webinar was part of the H2020 webinar series ‘Zooming in on Migration & Asylum’ co-organised by the H2020 projects MIGNEX, TRAFIG, ADMIGOV, and MAGYC, which all focus on migration. MIGNEX is currently seeking local partners in Guinea and Tunisia to conduct household surveys. Proposals are due on 15 January 2021. Stay updated with MIGNEX news by signing up for the MIGNEX newsletter. |
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MISTY: Is COVID-19 shifting attitudes towards sustainability? The Migration, Transformation and Sustainability (MISTY) project aims to provide theoretical and methodological innovations on the links between migration and sustainability. Dr. Sonja Fransen and Beatriz Cardoso Fernandes (both from UNU-MERIT) together with Dominique Jolivet (UvA) conducted a case study from Amsterdam to find out if COVID-19 is shifting attitudes towards sustainability. Can the global health pandemic provide a ‘window of opportunity’ to change the way we think about sustainability? Based on an online survey, the study finds that the coronavirus has increased interest in sustainability for almost a quarter of the 1381 Amsterdam residents surveyed. |
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NEW PROJECTS |
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Migration team members win grants at Maastricht University's SBE The month of December 2020 was a successful one for several members of the Migration Research Group. Dr. Katrin Marchand and Dr. Sonja Fransen were both awarded a grant from the School of Business and Economics (SBE) Elinor Ostrom Fund. The Fund supports female scholars in increasing diversity at Maastricht University's SBE. Dr. Marchand will use her grant to conduct research on refugee entrepreneurship in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Specifically, she will investigate how motivation, time of arrival and integration shape the business decision-making of refugees from Afghanistan and Syria and how this, in turn, impacts their personal development and integration. Dr. Fransen will use her grant to research the impact of COVID-19 on migrants and non-migrants living in Amsterdam. This research is an addition to the MISTY project. In addition, Dr. Katie Kuschminder won the Annual SBE Staff Excellence Award for the best effort in the field of research despite the COVID-19 situation with the aims and spearheads of the SDDG (Sustainable Development, Digitalisation and Globalisation) challenge in mind. |
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Prof. Melissa Siegel publishes country case studies on her YouTube channel Prof. Melissa Siegel published country case studies of the United States and the Netherlands (traditional immigration countries), Mexico and the Philippines (traditional emigration countries), as well as Afghanistan (known for forced migration) on her YouTube channel. The case studies cover the individual countries’ migration history, migration policy and current migration situation. Prof. Siegel’s YouTube channel aims to bring knowledge on migration to a non-specialist audience. More recently, she explained the concept of diaspora, including the origin and evolution of the term and how governments try to engage with their diaspora. You can subscribe to the channel here. |
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PAST EVENTS |
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Virtual Migration Seminars In conjunction with the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE), the Migration and Development research theme at UNU-MERIT 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. For the time being, seminars are held online. On 13 January 2021, Dr. Özge Bilgili discussed the ‘Objective and subjective relative deprivation among Congolese refugees and Rwandan locals: The compensating effect of financial contributions’. Dr. Bilgili is an assistant professor of interdisciplinary social science within European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations at Utrecht University specialised in immigrant integration, transnationalism and policy analysis. She is also an affiliated researcher at UNU-MERIT. On 16 December Dr. Evelyn Ersanilli (University of Amsterdam) presented the book ‘Marriage Migration and integration’ and on 16 November Loksan Harley presented a study on human trafficking in South Sudan. Keep an eye on the UNU-MERIT website for future events and links to the virtual seminars. |
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Virtual book launch: COVID-19 and Migration On 17 December 2020, the book ‘COVID-19 and Migration: Understanding the Pandemic and Human Mobility’ edited by Prof. Ibrahim Sirkeci and Prof. Jeffrey H. Cohen and published by Transnational Press London was launched virtually. The edited volume comprises 17 chapters bringing together the world’s foremost experts on human mobility to understand the many and complex links between the pandemic and human mobility. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted every domain of life including migration and human mobility in general and reminds us of how many people across the world rely on mobility for their livelihood. Prof. Melissa Siegel, who contributed a chapter about ‘COVID-19, Remittances and Repercussions’, was one of seven speakers who introduced the book and engaged in a Q&A session during the virtual launch. Watch part of the launch here. |
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Migration Trajectories and Transnational Support Within and Beyond Europe On 3 December 2020, the Utrecht University Focus Area on Migration and Societal Change, the Dutch Association for Migration Research (DAMR) and the IMISCOE Standing Committee on Migrant Transnationalism (MITRA) organised the webinar ‘Migration Trajectories and Transnational Support within and beyond Europe’ to highlight a recently published Special Issue in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (JEMS). The research emphasises that migration journeys are not necessarily planned, linear and unidirectional movements from origin to destination countries. Contributors analysed the dynamic migration decision-making process, considering the role of in/visible actors in (re)shaping migration, discuss policy implications and the way forward for academic research. During the webinar, Dr. Katie Kuschminder presented her article ‘Before Disembarkation: Eritrean and Nigerian Migrants Journeys Within Africa’. With more than 70 participants, thought-provoking presentations and discussions, the event was a great success. Find a recording of the full webinar via this link. |
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Symposium on Migration, Health and Integration On 26 November the first symposium on Migration, Health and Integration took place, a collaboration between UNU-MERIT (with the Maastricht Centre for Global Health and the Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development) and the Radboud University Network on Migrant Inclusion (RUNOMI) in Nijmegen. Dr. Michaella Vanore and researcher Sarah Roeder collaborated with colleagues from RUNOMI, Dr. Pascal Becker, Jose Muller-Dugic and Linda Sloane to offer an engaging programme: keynote speakers Dr. Santino Severoni from the WHO, Prof. Mario Braakman from Tilburg University and Jose Muller Dugic from RUNOMI spoke on the main stage, whilst parallel running panel discussions on (1) transcultural (mental) healthcare, (2) healthcare systems, access and outcomes, (3) the health/integration nexus, provided participants with the opportunity to showcase their research. The symposium also marked the launch of the Health and Migration Collaborative Community, a growing resource portal that provides short analytical reviews and other support materials for academics, practitioners, policymakers, and other stakeholders interested in migration and health. Visit the portal here. |
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Mobilization and Political Uncertainty: What Future for Syrian Civil Society in the Diaspora? During a webinar on 17 November 2020, Dr. Nora Jasmin Ragab and researcher Eleni Diker discussed the challenges and opportunities facing Syrian civil society actors in six host countries (Lebanon, Turkey, Germany, France, Denmark, and the UK). The webinar explored how changing realities inside Syria, in host countries, and internationally impact transnational mobilisation and how a vibrant, politically and socially engaged civil society led by Syrians has emerged and continues to develop. The webinar was part of the webinar series ‘The New Arab Diasporas’, organised by the Arab Reform Initiative (ARI). The full recording of the webinar can be found here. |
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TRAINING PROGRAMMES |
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Introduction to Migration Studies for Nigerian migration practitioners In early December, Dr. Katrin Marchand, with the support of Sarah Roeder, delivered the ‘Introduction to Migration Studies’ course to a group of Nigerian migration practitioners online. Participants of the course included civil servants from the Nigerian Immigration Service of the Nigerian government and staff from IOM Nigeria. A total of 33 participants completed the course which covered topics such as Theories of Migration, Migration Data, Integration, Remittances, and Forced Migration. This is the first course of a series of courses which will be delivered to the group in 2021. |
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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. 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 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. |
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NEW PUBLICATIONS Diker, Eleni, Mohammad Khalaf, Michaella Vanore & Soha Youssef, 2020, Iraqi minorities in diaspora mapping of community structures, perceptions on return, and connections to the homeland, Research report commissioned by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), More information Bonaglia, Federico, Jason Gagnon, Elaine Lebon-McGregor, David Khoudour, Riad Meddeb, Daniel Naujoks & Sonia Plaza, Dec 2020, World Bank Blogs, In observance of the International Migrants Day, Dec 18, More information Nimeh, Z.S., Kool, T.A., Iacoella, F., and A. Hunns. Rethinking Humanitarian Aid: Making the Case for Humanitarian Social Protection. UNU-MERIT Working Paper #2020-053. https://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/abstract/?id=8685 Leerkes, Arjen, Tineke Fokkema & Jonathan Bening, 2020, Community multiculturalism and self-reported immigrant crime: Testing three theoretical mechanisms, UNU-MERIT Working Paper 2020-055 Cebotari, Victor, 2020, Migration, remittances and child education in Ghana: Evidence from a longitudinal study, in: M. Konte & L. M. Mbaye (Eds.), Migration, Remittances, and Sustainable Development in Africa, Routledge, London, More information Merkle, Ortrun, Julia Reinold & Melissa Siegel, Nov 2020, Shaping the migration journey – the role of corruption, in: Maty Konte and Linguère Mously Mbaye (eds), Migration, Remittances, and Sustainable Development in Africa, Routledge, Abingdon/New York, More information Mueller, Charlotte & Katherine Kuschminder, 2020, Connecting Diaspora for Development 2 (CD4D2) Initial Report, Study commissioned by IOM, More information Mueller, Charlotte, Nov 2020, Diaspora Knowledge Transfer in Sierra Leone and Somaliland, in: Maty Konte and Linguère Mously Mbaye (eds), Migration, Remittances, and Sustainable Development in Africa, Routledge, Abingdon/New York, More information |
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