Gaps in labour supply and ageing populations
are prompting many European governments to expand temporary labour
migration programmes. Yet a growing body of research on “migrant
networks” implies that such policy interventions can have
two types of unexpected impacts. First, flows of information and
resources through migrant networks can generate “chain” migration
outside of legal programmes. And second, migrant networks can influence
decisions to switch from temporary to permanent stay.
This 4-year project aims to expand the knowledge base of future
labour migration policies, through:
- Contributing to knowledge on how migrant networks can influence
the impact of labour migration programmes of patterns of mobility.
This involves original empirical research into the impact of
expanded labour migration programmes on – respectively – mobility
and settlement, focusing on the intervening variable of migration
networks (the “meso” level). The meso-level analysis
will be situated within a broader model specifying the influence
of micro- and macro-factors, including the socio-economic and
political factors in source countries which generate migration
flows.
- Promoting the transfer of this knowledge to European policy-makers.
This requires addressing two sets of obstacles: (a) Scientific
impediments to translating meso-level variables into wieldy
models. The project explores how the interface between philosophy/economics
and new US economics approaches can help model network effects.
(b) Socio-political factors which may create resistance to
incorporating new knowledge in the field of migration. The
project will analyse how these variables shape patterns of
knowledge transfer in the UK, Germany, and the European Commission.
The analysis of knowledge transfer will be complemented by
an analysis of the domestic and international factors shaping
policy responses in European receiving countries.
The project will be carried out by a multidisciplinary,
international team, hosted at the Hamburg Institute of
International Economics, and includes the following members:
a UK philosopher/political scientist (team leader), a Romanian
economist, a German social geographer/sociologist and two PhD
students yet to be selected.
Read more about our scientific
objectives.
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