Preferential trade agreements (PTAs) aim to facilitate trade between two or more countries by doing things such as cutting tariffs or facilitating investment, but new research from the University of Geneva shows that that more than 70% of all PTAs signed in the last decade also contain provisions on international migration.  The majority of these […]

On the surface, a wide range of organizations and institutions are in favour of promoting migrant businesses. Cities, regions, countries, the European Commission, and corporations all agree that migrant-owned business help the inclusion of migrants, socially as well as economically. If so many institutions and actors agree, why is it still so difficult for migrants […]

Hannes Wehnhardt is a master student in Economics and Management of Government and International Organisations at Bocconi University in Milan and an exchange student at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute. A German by nationality, Hannes is interested into labour migration policies, skill shortage, and structural adjustment processes in the Federal […]

During the negotiations about a future coalition government in Germany, the trio consisting of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals have declared their intention to modernise skilled labour migration to Germany. The aim being twofold, a greater number of skilled workers and better conditions upon arrival. Is this enough? In this blogpost, I suggest that Germany’s […]

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 […]