23/10/2019 – GTD Colloquium: Evelyn Ersanilli

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Date/Time
Date(s) - 23/10/19
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm

Location
Grote Gracht 80-82, Spiegelzaal (Soiron Building) Maastricht

Categories


On 23 October 2019, from 15.30-17.00 a Globalisation, Transnationalism & Development Colloquium will take place. The lecture will be held by Dr. Evelyn Ersanilli (University of Amsterdam)  and is on the topic of “Why do origin states fend for the rights of their low-skilled labour migrants? Evidence from the Philippines”.

Abstract

Policies on migrant rights are usually analysed from the destination country perspective, ignoring the role of origin countries. Origin states however can and do shape the rights of their low skilled workers. For instance via bilateral agreements outlining minimum wage and other working conditions, by regulating recruitment firms or by mandating predeparture trainings. In this lecture I will focus on the Philippines. The Philippines is often presented at a ’model country’ when it comes to protecting its migrant workers. Roughly 10% of the Philippine population works abroad and remittances make-up about 10% of GDP. Ruhs (2013) has argued that origin states are reluctant to advocate for migrant rights out of fear of losing remittance income; increased rights (e.g. higher wages) could price migrants out of the market. Rodriguez (2010) has argued that the protection policies serve to sustain the Philippine ‘labour export’ model. In this lecture, I will present fresh evidence and discuss possible drivers of Philippine policies.”

 

About Dr Evelyn Ersanilli

Evelyn Ersanilli is Senior Researcher at the Department of Political Science at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on migration policy development and immigrant integration, in particular citizenship, identity, and migrant families. She holds a Starting Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for the RIGHTS project (2018-2023). This project takes a novel approach to the issue of low skilled migrants’ rights by examining the influence of the governments of origin countries. She is also a Co-Investigator in the MOBILISE project; “Determinants of ‘Mobilisation’ at Home & Abroad: Analysing the Micro-Foundations of Out-Migration & Mass Protest”. Evelyn Ersanilli obtained her PhD in Sociology from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She previously worked at the department of Sociology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the International Migration Institute at the University of Oxford and the WZB Berlin Social Science Research Centre.