News

Melissa Seigel has recently published a video on the Migration Research Hub. The Migration Research Hub is a central point where you can access migration-related literature, data, and expert profiles. 

While South-North migration tends to receive a lot of attention, forced migration within the Global South is seldom placed in the spotlight. This is despite the numbers: 85% of the world’s refugees find refuge in developing countries. In Africa, for instance, Uganda alone counts 1.4 million refugees in its territory. 

Research generates ideas, knowledge and recommendations but it will only have a real-world impact if it is properly understood, effectively communicated and, ultimately, used to inform policy decisions. A key strategic objective for UNU-MERIT is to get our research agenda – in particular Comprehensive Innovation for Sustainable Development (CI4SD) issues – on policymakers’ agendas and to see our recommendations and findings implemented as policy. 

In her newest video Melissa Siegel explores the specific case of Canada’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees program which is a programme to resettle refugees to Canada through the sponsorship of private citizens or organisations. This is in addition to the regular Government-Assisted Refugee Program. 

While international and, to a lesser extent, domestic remittances have long been considered an untapped market for development finance, a wide-ranging set of private sector actors, from microfinance institutions and Fintechs to international banks and giant incumbent companies such as Western Union, are getting ready for “the battle for the remittances market”, deemed ripe for “digital disruption” (The Economist, 2018).

On 26 November 2021 a seminar on the “Recent Developments in the Area of International Parentage” will take place. This seminar is organised in honour of Prof. R. de Groot (a MACIMIDE board member) on the occasion of his 70th birthday. To register please click here. 

Data is commonly considered a driver for more informed and timely decision-making in humanitarian response. At the same time, there is still often a disconnect between data and decisions, with cognitive and motivational biases likely affecting decision-making. 

Marie Labussière defended her PhD dissertation “Native born but not yet citizen. Citizenship and educational outcomes of the children of immigrants in the Netherlands” on Wednesday 3 November earning the distinction cum laude. An article about her research was also published in the Volkskrant. 

Osnabrück University looking for a research fellow to head the Junior Research Group “The Production of Knowledge about Migration”, sponsored by the Volkswagen Foundation funding initiative “Niedersächsisches Vorab”. The position is to be filled as soon as possible for a period of 3 years. 

In this latest video Melissa Siegel looks at the current internal displacement situation, based on the data of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. Prof. Siegel looks at internal displacement is measured and how the real numbers look. 

Prof. Siegel’s video looks at the current migration situation in Sweden on the basis of the European Commission Atlas on Migration. Melissa starts by looking at the stocks and flows of migrants in Sweden before moving on to looking at the purpose of residence permits and looking at data on refugee applications. 

Full time, fixed term (one year in first instance, expectation of renewal subject to funding) 

Internationally renowned publication Forced Migration Review (FMR) seeks an experienced Deputy Editor.