Compas

Welcome to the latest COMPAS Update

Please find below the latest COMPAS Update on all our recent research activities, events and publications, as well as plans for the future.

This email contains hyperlinks which are highlighted in blue and will open in new windows. If you have difficulty following the links, please visit our online version at:
http://www.compas.ox.ac.uk/publications/updates/
 

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

No recourse to public funds: two projects

Sarah Spencer (Principal Investigator) and Jonathan Price (Research Officer) have been awarded funds for two projects looking at local authority responses to migrant families who have no recourse to public funds. 

One study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, is exploring the differing ways in which local government institutions – statutory social care services in particular – address the welfare needs of migrant families with dependent children who are excluded from accessing public funds in the UK. A smaller, comparative study, funded by the Open Society Foundations, is exploring related issues in Madrid and Berlin.

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Us and Them? The dangerous politics of immigration controls

This new book by Bridget Anderson considers migration within a long history of control over the mobility of the unsettled poor. It examines the construction of differences between the foreigner and the citizen, and asks when and why do these differences matter, and what their consequences are.

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NEWS & NOTICES

Xiang Biao awarded William L. Holland Prize

Xiang Biao won the eleventh William L. Holland Prize for best article for his article 'Predatory Princes and Princeley Peddlers: The State and International Labour Migration Intermediaries in China' (Pacific Affairs, 2012, Volume 85 No.1, 47-68), hailed as “a sterling combination of in-depth ethnographic research and theoretical sophistication…the rich fieldwork contributes new knowledge for specialists of China, while the argument provides a refinement of and a challenge to the existing analyses of not only migration brokers but also state-society relations.”

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New projects for Bastian Vollmer

Bastian Vollmer has begun work on three new migration projects.

"Access to territory, border management and protection of refugees project" aims to evaluate the track record of UNHCR's past achievements addressing access to territory, border management and protection of refugees project. This project is funded by the UNHCR.

"Border security: discourses and practices in the UK", funded by the Leverhulme Trust, will test if and how narratives or discourses' match with the reality at UK borders

The project "Signals from the majority – paradoxes of integration" seeks to explore the intersection of migration and security from the perspective of members of minorities and immigrant communities. It is funded by the Open Society Foundations.

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Romanian and Bulgarian migration to Britain: facts behind the fear

In an article for Open Democracy's "Our Kingdom" Franck Düvell explores the facts behind the fear of Romanian and Bulgarian migration to the UK. The article considers the actual expected impact of the lifted restrictions on migration from A2 countries. He raises issues of historical context, migration potential and actual numbers, what countries migrants would actually choose to go to, and whether migrants would actually (as feared by many) come to the UK to claim benefits.

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Martin Ruhs on what the MAC can teach the USA

In an opinion piece in the Financial Times on 18 February, "On migration, the US should copy the UK"Martin Ruhs argues that the USA should set up an independent commission, like the British Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). It highlights three specific lessons for the USA based on the MAC experience.

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Nick Van Hear gives keynote on shifting powers

Nick Van Hear gave the keynote "Shifting powers: two decades of migration and global turbulence" at an international conference at LSE. The conference 'How do Migrants from the BRICS Countries Participate in Shaping the Global Society?' was held on 2 March, 2013.

COMPAS PhD student Ka-Kin Cheuk presented his paper "From vulnerability to flexibility: Indian middleman traders in Shaoxing, China".

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Complexities and challenges in Afghan Migration

COMPAS research work on Afghan migration and diaspora was strongly represented at a recent workshop on Afghanistan held in Brussels, 8-9 April.

Organised by the migration studies group at Maastricht University and held in the Dutch delegation to the European Commission, the workshop looked ahead to the likely consequences for migration of the withdrawal of Western forces from Afghanistan in 2014. Nick Van Hear discussed papers on Afghanistan’s demography and economy and on migrant decision-making, while COMPAS doctoral students Esra Kaytaz and Morwari Zafar and IMI student Carolin Fischer presented their work in a session on the Afghan diaspora. Former COMPAS colleague Liza Schuster (City University) also presented findings based on recent fieldwork in Afghanistan.

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Bridget Anderson gives keynote in Toronto

Bridget Anderson will give a keynote at the 2013 RCIS conference "Immigration and Settlement: Precarious Futures?", held on 15-17 May. The conference is dedicated to advancing innovative and interdisciplinary research from diverse critical and institutional perspectives in the areas of immigration and settlement, international migration, integration, and diaspora and refugee studies. It aims to integrate theory with practice on international migration issues based on values of inclusion and respect for cultural diversity.

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Michael Keith to speak at Freedom and Diversity Conference

Michael Keith, Bridget Anderson, and Martin Ruhs are speaking at the conference "Combining Freedom and Diversity: Lessons from Experience in Britain, Canada, France, Germany and the United States"

The conference is organised by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and takes place in Oxford 3-5 May 2013, bringing together experts from many different fields and all five countries, with Martha Nussbaum delivering a keynote lecture. The focus is firmly on conclusions useful for public policy.

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS

Rethinking Migration

COMPAS Seminar Series Trinity 2013

Thursdays 14:00 - 15:30,
25 April - 30 May

Seminar Room, Pauling Centre, 58a Banbury Road, Oxford

The aim of this series is to explore how migration research has re-configured the social sciences over the past 10 years and in turn how changes in the social sciences have influenced the study of mobility and migration, their patterns, consequences and policies. Each seminar will focus on one of the six COMPAS core research themes; flows and dynamics, labour markets, citizenship and belonging, urban change and settlement, welfare, and the Migration Observatory.

All are welcome to attend and there is no need to register. Podcasts will be available shortly after each seminar.

Please add your comments to our Facebook page and follow our live tweets (#COMPASseminars) during the seminars.

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Special screening of Margreth Olin’s award-winning documentary: Nowhere Home

Tuesday 30th April 2013
6.15pm introductory talk, 6.30pm screening
The Ultimate Picture Palace, Cowley Road, Oxford

Nowhere Home follows the fortunes of a number of young people from Salhus, a Norwegian centre offering temporary residence to unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people as they approach adulthood. While they all hope to remain in Norway, the threat of deportation when they turn 18—and uncertain futures in countries like Afghanistan or Iraq—hangs over them. Watch the trailer online.

Tickets: £8 (£6 concessions). Online booking

This showing is organised by the Oxford Institute of Social Policy (OISP) in collaboration with the Refugee Studies Centre (RSC) and the Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford and the School of Social Policy at the University of Birmingham.

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Breakfast Briefings Flyer

COMPAS Breakfast Briefings

Topical, cutting edge research on migration and migration related issues is provided in an accessible format for policy makers and other research users.

The third COMPAS Breakfast Briefing series runs September 2012 - June 2013. 


Upcoming Briefings:

10 May: Are potential supporters of the English Defence League economic losers, protestors, Islamophobes or xenophobes?

14 June: What does the 2011 census tell us about ethnic diversity and integration in England and Wales?

Podcasts of previous presentations are available.

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Migration: Theory and Practice

Saturday 4 May 2013, 8:45-17:30
Manor Road Building, Oxford

This conference, run by the Oxford University Migration Studies Society, will explore different approaches to understanding migration, highlight the way practice can inform theory, and discuss how academic theory can be used in practical situations to.

A keynote lecture on the topic will be given by Robin Cohen, Emeritus Professor and Former Director of the International Migration Institute, University of Oxford and Habib Rahman, Chief Executive of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI).

This will be followed by four subject panels with student presentations, as well as input from leading academics and practitioners. Topics covered will include: labour migration, diaspora and return, religious and family life, globalisation and technologies.

Register online / Further details / Contact the organisers

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Integration, Disadvantage and Extremism

Wednesday 8 May 2013, 13:00 - 17:45
Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, House of Commons, London

The aim of this symposium is to reflect on the government's integration strategy and to do so in the light of both contemporary developments and recent scholarship, bringing the most current evidence-based research to bear on urgent issues of policy for an invited audience of academic experts, policy makers and parliamentarians. The symposium is organised into three panels on integration and disadvantage today, integration and extremism, and is localism sufficient?

The symposium is being organised by the Pears Institute for the study of Antisemitism, Birkbeck, University of London and COMPAS, University of Oxford, in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group Against Antisemitism.

Please note, places are limited and by invitation only. If you would like to participate please contact pearsinstitute@bbk.ac.uk, stating your institutional affiliation and/or area of interest.

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Building Regionality into Immigration Policy: Does it Work? Evidence from Canada

Monday 20 May 2013, 14:00 - 15:30
64 Banbury Road, Oxford

Speaker: Robert E. Wright, University of Strathclyde

Most European countries are ageing rapidly, with population and labour force decline being expected in the near future. The governments of most of these countries view managed immigration as being the main way to expand their labour forces. However, most of these countries do not have in place immigration systems that "select the best". However, this is changing. 

Using micro-data collected in Canadian censuses, and matching methods, this talk attempts to evaluate empirically whether such programmes are effective. The main aim of the analysis is to consider whether "lessons can be learned" from the Canadian experience that can be applied to the UK and other countries where points-based immigration systems are being introduced.

Attendance is open to all.

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Rethinking Diaspora

1 - 2 July 2013
St. Annes' College, Oxford

This conference is jointly organized by COMPAS and the Oxford Diasporas Programme (ODP). It will focus on fundamental dynamics relating to the formation, maintenance, and impacts of diasporas.

This conference aims to integrate humanities and social science perspectives in order to investigate the impacts of these dynamics of diaspora.

Limited places at this conference will be open for registration on 1 May 2013.

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Call for Papers: "Fielding challenges, challenging the field: The methodologies of mobility"

27 - 28 September 2013
Oxford

Ethnography has long been the hallmark of anthropology, and most social science disciplines now routinely employ qualitative ethnographic research methods. While the ethnographic method has adapted to shifts within the discipline, growing interest in mobility-related research prompts new methodological questions in the field(s) of anthropology.

The EASA Anthropology and Mobility Network invites papers that explore how ethnographers are responding to questions being raised in the study of mobility, in particular, in the 'zones of awkward engagement' between mobility's methods and the production of ethnographic theory, and the ways in which ethnographies of movement may provide novel theoretical horizons for anthropology. Papers that grapple with mobility at any scale and in both classic and unexpected settings are welcome.

Please submit abstracts of no more than 250 words to easamobworkshop@gmail.com by Friday, 17 May, 2013. Include your name, institutional affiliation, paper title and contact details in your email. Funding for travel and accommodation is available for EASA-member participants.

COMPAS Photo Competition

COMPAS will soon be announcing the details of its Photo Competition 2013. Keep your eyes peeled, and for inspiration have a look at our previous competitions.

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PREVIOUS EVENTS

International Migration and Human Rights: Critical Research and Policy Perspectives

COMPAS Seminar Series Hilary 2013

This seminar series questioned the relationship between international migration and human rights commitments. Some migration issues are commonly framed in terms of human rights. Human rights norms and ideals are frequently invoked to challenge states’ harsh treatment of migrants. Yet, in other contexts, state sovereignty appears to be given great sway, and the connections between international migration and human rights are less apparent. The series aimed to re-examine familiar issues in a new light, and open up new frontiers in the interaction between international migration and human rights.

Podcasts from this series will soon be available.

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International Migration and the 2011 UK Census

25 February 2013, Oxford

The Migration Observatory hosted a workshop on the 2011 UK Census. Speakers were Emma Wright, Head of Population Analysis, and Peter Stokes, Vensus Statistical Design Manager, both from the UK Office for National Statistics. 

See videos: 
Peter Stokes on The UK Census on Migration Data
Emma Wright on The Office for National Statistics Data

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Latin American and Caribbean migration research workshop

11 March 2013, Oxford

In recent years research on Latin American migration flows towards Europe and, more recently, the reversal of such flows in the wake of the economic crisis, has proliferated. This event brought together researchers and doctoral students based in Oxford to share ideas and research interests and to bring out interconnections, contrasts and points of comparison within our research. Participants are now discussing ways of facilitating collaboration and networking within and beyond Oxford.

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Within and beyond citizenship: Lived experiences of contemporary membership

11-12 April, Oxford

This symposium investigated the interplay between forms and modes of contemporary membership, migration governance (both immigration and emigration), and the politics of belonging.

The event was a great success, bringing together over 60 researchers with varying perspectives on belonging. A glimpse of the conference can be seen on it's Storify board.

This was the first of two international symposia investigating the relationship between legal status, rights and belonging. The symposia are jointly organised by the Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford with the School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago, COMPAS, and the Oxford Institute of Social Policy, University of Oxford.

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Turkish Migration Studies Group Seminar

26 April 2013, Oxford

The 8th in the series of Turkish Migration Studies Group (TurkMiS) seminars included four presentations on issues of Turkish migration, such as the making of asylum policies, internal displacement, and welfare.

Details of TurkMiS activity, relevant news, and sources can be seen on the TurkMiS web page

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COMPAS Breakfast Briefings

Briefing summary documents and podcasts of recent Breakfast Briefings are available: 

8 February: What do highly skilled French migrants in London teach us about European talent migration?

8 March: What are the migration pathways of UK graduates?

12 April: With a lot of help from my friends: How do migrants use social networks to access jobs?

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PUBLICATIONS

New paper on Migration, Time and Temporalities

The paper, "Migration, Time and Temporalities: Review and Prospect", by Bridget Anderson, Melanie Griffiths and Ali Rogers is derived from a larger and more extensive scoping study, undertaken to facilitate discussion on the question: What are the key emerging themes from the existing literature on temporalities and time that can be developed as part of a theoretically and politically engaged migration research agenda?

The paper is accompanied by a methodology description and bibliography, as well as a workshop report on the event "Migration Temporalities". The latter was held in Oxford in June 2012, as part of the scoping study.

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Context, institution or accountability? Exploring the factors that shape the performance of national human rights and equality bodies

A new article by Sarah Spencer and Colin Harvey compares six statutory human rights and equality bodies in the UK and Ireland, exploring the range of factors that shape their performance.


The article argues that developing an understanding of the factors that shape the performance of statutory human rights and equality bodies is fundamental to debates on the establishment, reform or merger of such bodies at the national, international and European and levels.

Sarah Spencer and Colin Harvey, Policy & Politics (2013, ISSN 0305-5736, Online ISSN: 1470-8442)

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Comorians and Hadramis in the western Indian Ocean: diasporic practices in a comparative context

Iain Walker examines the similarities and the differences in diasporic practices and relationships with the homeland using two groups – Zanzibaris of Hadrami origin and Zanzibaris of Comorian origin – as case studies. 

Walker, I. (2012) 'Comorians and Hadramis in the western Indian Ocean: diasporic practices in a comparative context', Social Dynamics: A journal of African studies, 38(3): 435-53. DOI: 10.1080/02533952.2012.756722

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Marriage-Related Migration to the UK

Nick Van Hear has published a new article on marriage migration. By bringing together immigration statistics with information from academic and third-sector sources, this article attempts to provide a more balanced and nuanced portrayal of patterns and practices of marriage-related migration to the UK, than currently exists. The article reveals important nationality and gender differences in migration flows and considers how varying marriage practices, social and political contexts, and policies of both receiving and sending countries may work to influence marriage-related migration streams.

Charlsey, K., Van Hear, N., Benson, M. and Storer-Church, B. (2012) 'Marriage-related migration to the UK', International Migration Review, 46(4): 861-90. DOI: 10.1111/imre.12003

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Ukraine, migration, early 20th century to present

The history of Ukraine is characterized by discontinuity and the endeavors of foreign rulers during the past centuries. Bastian Vollmer examines the history of the Ukraine with particular focus on the country's migration history and developments. 

Vollmer, B. (2013) 'Ukraine, migration, early 20th century to present', in Ness, I. (Ed.) The Encyclopedia of Global Human Migration, New York: Wiley-Blackwell

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Europe's Immigration Challenge: Reconciling Work, Welfare and Mobility

The book, by the Policy Network presents a comprehensive cross-comparative study that sheds light on how work, welfare and immigration policies can be developed in a more integrated fashion. It includes chapters by Martin Ruhs and Bridget Anderson. They have together contributed the chapter "Responding to Employers: Skills, Shortages and Sensible Immigration Policy". Bridget Anderson has also written the chapter "Migration, Immigration Controls and the Fashioning of Precarious Workers".

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Towards a post-2015 development agenda: What role for migrant rights and international labour migration?

Martin Ruhs  has written this background paper for the European Development Report 2013.

Martin calls for the creation of a global migrant rights database that  could be used for systematic analysis of migrant rights restrictions for different groups of migrants, both across and within countries. For more analysis of migrant rights, labour migration and development, see Martin’s forthcoming book The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labor Migration (Princeton University Press, September 2013).  

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A new journal of Migration Studies

Migration Studies, a new journal from Oxford University Press is now available. To learn more about the journal and view the inaugural issue free of charge online, visit the website. The journal's Editor-in-Chief, Alan Gamlen is a COMPAS Research Associate and COMPAS Researcher, Carlos Vargas-Silva, is an Associate Editor.

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New COMPAS Working papers 2013

There have been three new COMPAS Working Papers in 2013: 

- The Christianisation of Afghan and Iranian transit migrants in Istanbul: encounters at the biopolitical border by Shoshana Fine

- Deterring the ‘Boat People’: Explaining the Australian Government’s People Swap Response to Asylum Seekers by Reza Hasmath

- Frenzied, Decelerating and Suspended: the Temporal Uncertainties of Failed Asylum Seekers and Immigration Detainees by Melanie Griffiths

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SOCIAL MEDIA

COMPAS Social Media

COMPAS offers an interactive element to its website via our Facebook and Twitter pages. This involves general updates about events, a discussion forum for our seminar series and posts about COMPAS news and publications.

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Screenshot of the COMPAS Blog

COMPAS Blog

The COMPAS Blog provides information and discussion points about work taking place at COMPAS. It allows our researchers to share what they thinking about, working on, and reactions to migration issues taking place globally.

Recent topics have included: Diasporic school associationsWhat Kinds of Immigrants Come or Stay? Illegality and UK Tabloid Portrayal of ImmigrantsFamily migration policies in the UK: What can academics contribute?Integration: linking research and learningImmigration and Welfare: Beyond Us and Them“We want to hear from you” (or how informing works in a liberal democracy), and Not your mother’s norms: The experience of second generation women in the Afghan-American diaspora

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COMPAS podcasts

COMPAS podcasts are available from previous Seminar Series, Breakfast Briefings, and one-off events. Visit the COMPAS feed on the University of Oxford podcasting page or the COMPAS iTunesU feed to listen. 

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