Foreign aid, and development


Re-thinking Migration Studies? Developing social research training with refugee communities in Jordan

While calls to re-think, de-centre and de-colonise migration studies has started to trend, what does this mean in practical terms? This blog reflects on our experiences of developing social research training and working with Sudanese, Somalia, Syrian and Iraqi refugees in Jordan. We wanted to understand how communities living in contexts of displacement try to […]

How does foreign aid affect the emigration of medical workers from developing countries?

Severe shortages of health personnel provide a justification for the international community to support developing countries in their efforts to retain medical workers through improved local conditions. Our new research shows that aid for health as well as general efforts to foster economic growth indeed lead to lower emigration of medical workers. The effects are […]

Measuring Changes in Ethnic Diversity Over Time: The Historical Index of Ethnic Fractionalization Dataset (HIEF)

The demographic composition of most countries has changed dramatically in the last decades. The questions of how different people with different backgrounds can peacefully interact in the modern and more globalized world, and how their societies may prosper, are among the most important challenges of recent years. There has been a growing interest among social […]

The impact of foreign aid on migration revisited

With the refugee crisis and the arrival of thousands of migrants on the Southern European coasts, there’s a growing pressure on the European Commission and the most affected EU member states to find a quick way to effectively manage (and stem) migration flows. And many see foreign aid as an essential part of the solution. […]

Do immigrants overestimate wages abroad? New research evidence

“I came to America because I heard the streets were paved with gold. When I got here, found out three things: First, the streets weren’t paved with gold; second, they weren’t paved at all: and third, I was expected to pave them”. Anonymous Italian immigrant in Ellis Island, New York in early 1900s Anecdotal evidence […]