“Narratives” on, about, for or against international migration are increasingly cited by a wide range of organisations, including national governments, international organisations and NGOs, as one of the most powerful factors in migration policymaking today. For example, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights claimed that narratives ‘play a fundamental role in […]

Recent political developments might suggest that migration-related issues entail centrifugal tendencies for matters of international cooperation, in that they appear to involve fragmentation and disengagement from wider forms of cooperation. But, can migration also entail centripetal tendencies leading to greater international cooperation and integration? And how does the tension between these centripetal and centrifugal drives […]

For those working to promote a positive and more balanced view about migration in high-income countries, the world can seem a bleak place at times. From drownings in the Mediterranean, to detention centres in Libya, the Trump administration’s “Muslim ban”, and restrictions on labour migration and regular employment, policymakers appear to be increasingly enacting policies […]

Population ageing is an overlooked reason for why public opinion about immigration differs across European countries. Some European countries have more rapidly ageing populations than others, meaning that their societies are composed of a greater proportion older people. And this age composition has important implications for what the public, on average, thinks about immigration.   […]

Fighting myths about immigration? Facts and evidence are not enough. Disinformation and hate speech about sensitive issues such as immigration have become a major challenge for democracies. In response, calls for more evidence based policy debates are growing. Drawing upon insights about how information is processed and how understandings about migration are formed Leila Hadj-Abdou […]