Announcements

Prof. Melissa Siegel, Professor of Migration Studies at Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT, has launched a Youtube channel dealing with migration issues. The purpose of the channel is to bring knowledge on migration to the general public. Click here for the channel. 

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.

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. 

Prof. Melissa Siegel, Professor of Migration Studies at Maastricht University and UNU-MERIT, has published a new video on her Youtube channel addressing the concept of diaspora: looking at the origins of the term, how definitions differ and have changed over time as well as how governments often try to engage their diaspora.

Melissa Siegel discusses how mobility can have micro level effects, for example, on the immediate family members or households that an emigrant leaves, while on the other end of the spectrum the effects at the country or regional level which are also referred to as macro level effects. Effects at the community level in areas where migrants come from can also be seen. 

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.

Samuel Hall is seeking a professional and motivated individual to join its team for a full-time position as Migration & Displacement (Pillar 1) Project Manager (PM), ideally based in the Nairobi office. The PM will directly support the Pillar Lead to lead research, manage projects and other pillar staff, and support the strategic development of the pillar. 

Melissa Siegel specifically examines the effects of international migration in destination, or host, countries. The effects of migration are observed at different levels of society and under a variety of circumstances. While this video is not meant to be a complete list of every effect host countries or locations will experience, it will summarise some of the most commonly discussed and researched outcomes.

Loksan Harley, host of the Migration and Diaspora Podcast discussed the topic of migration and development and how each affects the other with Prof. Melissa Siegel. In their discussion, they talked about how development affects migration (including the “migration hump”) and how migration affects development, including the most common misconceptions about those relationships. 

One position is open to persons whose research focus is in the area of “Adaptive Peacebuilding” swisspeace are interested in advancing their research portfolio in areas such as understanding impact in complex environments, adaptive approaches in peacebuilding, and the role of aid in conflict.