CALL FOR PAPERS ON ASYLUM MIGRATION
United Nations University and World Institute for Development Economics
Research
Conference on Poverty, International Migration and Asylum
Helsinki, Finland, 27-28 September 2002
In recent years, substantial numbers of people have migrated - or sought to
migrate - from regions that are afflicted by poverty and insecurity to more
prosperous and stable parts of the world. By the year 2000, the United
Nations estimated that about 140 million persons - or roughly two percent of
the world's population - resided in a country where they were not born.
Such population flows, involving increasingly tortuous and dangerous
long-distance journeys, have been both prompted and facilitated by a variety
of factors associated with the process of globalization: a growing disparity
in the level of human security to be found in different parts of the world;
improved transportation, communications and information technology systems;
the expansion of transnational social networks; and the emergence of a
commercial (and sometimes criminal) industry, devoted to the smuggling of
people across international borders.
The conference will focus on two major themes: the economic consequences of
immigration, and issues associated with asylum migration. With respect to
asylum migration, the key themes to be covered are as follows:
1. Asylum migration: patterns and trends
This component of the project will provide a historical, empirical and
statistical overview of the phenomenon, focusing on the changing nature of
asylum migration: where do asylum migrants come from? where do they go to?
what routes do they take to get there? what is the demographic and
socio-economic profile of such migrants/ and what does this data tell us
about the causes of and motivation for asylum migration?
2. Asylum migration: modes and methods
This component of the project will seek to establish a typology of asylum
migration, focusing especially on the modes and methods by which people move
from one country and region to another. It will examine the information
which people use in making their decision to migrate; the methods used to
mobilize resources for the journey, as well as the role of human smuggling
in the process of asylum migration. In this respect, the project will
provide a critical appraisal of the widespread assumption that human
smuggling involves the deception and exploitation of migrants by organized
criminal syndicates.
3. Asylum migration: implications for receiving states
This component of the project will examine the implications and impact of
asylum migration for countries of final destination and - to a lesser
extent - the countries through which asylum migrants transit. It will ask
whether asylum migration can be usefully analyzed in terms of the 'costs'
and benefits' which it brings to receiving states. It will also look more
generally at the consequences of asylum migration for those countries,
focusing on issues such as economic activity, social structure, popular
culture, ethnic relations and foreign relations.
4. Asylum migration: implications for countries of origin
This component of the project will examine an issue which has received
relatively little attention in the existing literature: the impact of asylum
migration on countries of origin. To what extent does asylum migration
involve the departure of skilled and educated people, and what impact does
this have on a country's labour market and potential for economic
development? How and with what consequences does asylum migration affect
household and community structures in countries of origin? How is asylum
migration associated with the development of transnational social networks,
and what functions do these networks perform? What remittances do asylum
migrants send back to their own country, and how are such remittances used?
5. Asylum migration: public policy responses
The fifth and final component of the project focuses on an issue which has
been covered extensively in the recent literature on the issue: the way in
which states and other actors (regional bodies, international and
non-governmental organizations, for example) have responded to the
phenomenon of asylum migration. What considerations have determined the
response of such actors? How effective have these responses been (and in
this context, what does 'effectiveness' mean anyway?) To what extent is
there a consensus amongst these actors with regard to policy responses? And
looking to the future, can alternative responses to the asylum migration be
anticipated?
Selected conference papers, together with a policy summary, will be included
in a conference volume, edited by Professor George Borjas (Harvard
University) and Dr. Jeffery Crisp (Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit,
UNHCR).
Those interested in participating in the conference are invited to submit by
30 April 2002 the application form downloadable from the wider web site
(http://www.wider.unu.edu/). Those interested in presenting a paper are
asked to include a title and one-page abstract of their proposed
contribution. Early applications will be given preference. Applications from
younger researchers and from researchers in developing countries are
especially welcome. WIDER will cover the cost of accommodation and meals in
Helsinki during the period of the conference. It may also be possible to
contribute to the travel expenses of those unable to cover their travel
costs from other sources.
Applications and further communications should be sent by e-mail, fax or
mail as follows:
APPLICATION FORM IN WORD
E-MAIL [log in to unmask]
FAX +358 9 615 99333
WIDER, Katajanokanlaituri 6B, 00160 Helsinki, Finland
See also: http://www.wider.unu.edu/
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