Call for papers
WIDER Development Conference jointly organized with ARUA - Migration and mobility

United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) jointly with the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) will organize a two-day conference on migration and mobility, in Accra, Ghana on 5-6 October 2017.

Migration and mobility are key facets of our increasingly globalized world. Challenges associated with migration have been brought into sharp relief over the past several years as Europe faces a refugee crisis of significant dimensions. Migration also offers opportunities. For migrants, this may include economic and social mobility, as well as improved physical security and an escape from conflict, violence and persecution. While the impact of migration on both host and sending countries is a topic of considerable contemporary political debate, there is also ample research showing the benefits in terms of labour market outcomes, economic growth, as well as diversity and innovation.

While most recent policy and economic research attention has focused on ‘South-North’ migration, the extent of ‘South-South’ migration and mobility is comparable, if not greater. We are thus particularly interested in submissions relating to South-South migration and mobility. We also especially welcome submissions on these issues in the African region. We invite submissions on voluntary and forced migration and on regular and irregular migration, as well as on internal and cross-border migration and mobility issues.

This conference explores the relationships between migration, mobility and development. Within the context of UNU-WIDER’s current research programme on Transformation, Inclusion, and Sustainability and ARUA’s priority focus on migration and mobility, it aims to bring together new and innovative research from economics and other disciplines that can inform broader policy-relevant debate and action.

The conference will consist of plenary sessions with keynote speakers, parallel sessions with contributed papers, and a poster session.

We welcome submissions of individual papers, as well as of panels. Panels will include 3-4 papers (plus potential discussants). We are particularly interested in submissions in the following areas:

• Rural-to-urban migration and mobility and underlying drivers
• Impact of migration on families left behind
• Macroeconomic implications of migration for sending and receiving countries, including the contributions of migrants and diasporas to all dimensions of sustainable development, the impact of remittances, brain drain, etc.
• Social cohesion, assimilation, integration, and diversity; consideration of racism, xenophobia, and intolerance
• Gender, migration, and mobility
• Health, migration, and mobility
• Environment, natural resources and population movements; consideration of climate change and natural disasters as drivers of conflict and efforts to mitigate harms
• Conflict, migration and mobility; consideration of conflict as a driver of migration, as well as of the impact of migration on conflict
• Historical patterns and the future of migration; consideration of international co-operation and governance of migration in all its dimensions
• Getting the numbers and statistics right: what do we know and what don’t we know about migration flows, the characteristics and skills of migrants, remittances, etc. (based on available macro- and micro-data)

Interested applicants wishing to present original research should complete the online application form. We particularly encourage submissions from early-career, female, and developing country researchers.

See full call for papers