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VAM-Velferd, arbeid og migrasjon

Transnationalism from above and below: Migration management and how migrants manage (MIGMA)

Alternative title: Transnasjonalisme over- og nedenfra: om migrasjon og migranter

Awarded: NOK 9.9 mill.

Project Number:

247622

Application Type:

Project Period:

2015 - 2022

Funding received from:

Partner countries:

The overarching goal of Transnationalism from above and below: Migration management and how migrants manage (MIGMA) is to create new knowledge about the effects and effectiveness of migration control, as well as to explore the challenges inherent in steering the behaviour of migrants who would rather control their own life, and who have individual agendas that do not always coincide with the agendas of host states. The project, led by Professor May-Len Skilbrei at the University of Oslo, deals with Nigerian migration to and within Europe, and how the European asylum system and the police in Norway and Denmark handle this group of migrants. The project investigates this via a series of sub-projects with data collection in Norway, Denmark, Nigeria and Italy, as well as a legal analysis of existing principles for and practices of return policies and return to ?safe third countries?, especially Turkey. Through these sub-projects, MIGMA has created knowledge about a field undergoing rapid changes. Since the project started, migration patterns and European migration policy have changed dramatically. Fieldwork in Nigeria, Italy, Denmark and Norway has shown how Nigerian migrants adapt to changing circumstances, and relate to risk along the way and in Europe, while at the same time providing financial support and care for family members in Nigeria and Europe. Nigerian migrants are considered vulnerable to human trafficking, and research from Norway and Denmark has shown how the immigration authorities, the police and civil society actors relate to this risk. Measures specifically designed to deal with such vulnerabilities do not necessarily alleviate risk, and in the project we have found that a lack of sensitivity to how vulnerability is multifaceted and border-crossing, has created measures that can increase migrants' vulnerability to exploitation. Research also shows that women on the way and upon arrival to Europe are particularly affected by increased migration barriers, partly because they find themselves forced to take extra risks due to pregnancies and care obligations. It is well known that migrants can be exploited during the migration process and in Europe, but MIGMA's research among young adults in Nigeria shows that this is not necessarily important in decision-making processes. Young people do not necessarily shy away from danger and risk, among other things because they not being able to manage risk is perceived as negative. The potential benefits of migrating may also be more important than the potential dangers. In 2020, the European Commission presented a proposal for a new migration agreement. This new agreement emphasizes the possibility of European states to quickly be able to return migrants who do not receive asylum to their home country or another country outside Europe. Based on analysis of already established return agreements between Norway and sending countries for migration, MIGMA researchers warn against speeding up the return process because this in turn may mean that human rights considerations, which include protecting children and particularly vulnerable migrants, are not adequately addressed. Knowledge from MIGMA has continuously been disseminated to key actors in the field, through academic publications, op eds, blog posts and lectures, in Norway and in other countries. This is knowledge that has contributed to policy development and improvement, and this knowledge has served to help actors to identify knowledge gaps. The researchers who have participated in MIGMA, May-Len Skilbrei, Erlend Paasche, Özlem Gürakar Skribeland, Sine Plambech , Maja Janmyr and Jørgen Carling, have disseminated from the research in direct dialogue with actors, at professional conferences for end-users of research and publications and events for general audiences. Throughout the project period, the researchers in MIGMA have also developed and initiated new research projects and networks building on their work in MIGMA. Examples are the projects Deporting Foreigners: Contested Norms in International Practice (NORMS) funded by RCN (Paasche), Women on the Move funded by Open Society Foundation (Plambech) and REF-ARAB Refugees and the Arab Middle East: Protection in States Not Party to the Refugee Convention funded by RCN (Janmyr). The collaboration in MIGMA led to the establishment in 2019 of multidisciplinary research group on migration law at The Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo. Project webpage: https://www.jus.uio.no/ikrs/english/research/projects/migma/index.html

MIGMA has produced knowledge on the relationship between migration policy and experiences of migrants. Outputs are a PhD thesis and 12 peer reviewed chapters and articles. The project's collaborative and interdisciplinary design has informed the further scholarship of the MIGMA researchers. The results of MIGMA have reached general audiences in Norway and Denmark through media. MIGMA also brought Nigerian film to Oslo for the first time. The project has had an international reach through the publication of several invited blog posts. An op-ed from the project shed light on the poor service delivery of the UN agency International Organization for Migration to vulnerable returnees in Nigeria, something that contributed to a much needed critical scrutiny of problematic practices. MIGMA has reached stake holders, including policy makers. The analysis of the legal framing of return holds the potential to inform the development of EU migration policy and realisation of Norwegian obligations.

The formative idea of migration management is the possibility of a 'win-win-win' scenario of positive outcomes for countries of origin and destination as well as for migrants. This glosses over the multiple conflicts involved within and between states and between states and migrants. Consequently, it also glosses over the often limited capability of seemingly powerful host states to actually manage migration. The proposed research project examines the attempts of Norway, Denmark and Italy of excising Nigerian rejected asylum seekers from its territory through the combined use of assisted return and deportation, enacting a project of exclusion in the pursuit of governance. This migrant group is selected as a case because it is particularly difficult to manage. Firstly, we study how national legislations and inter-state legal frameworks delimit the de jure boundaries for what the host state can do. Secondly, by opening up the 'host state' box we map the various state actors engaged in the design and implementation of return policies and assess the extent to which they harmonize on key issues. Finally, we study how policies designed and implemented by host states translate into empirical realities 'from below', as they are experienced and narrated through popular culture and by returnees in Nigeria. This data will allow for a careful assessment of the effectiveness and effects, intended or not, of return policies. It also offers insight into yet another factor that constrains the power of host states to manage migrants who prefer to manage their own lives. We combine legal and humanistic perspectives in this cross-country comparative study, aiming for a holistic analysis of a contemporary challenge to policy makers in an age of mobility. The core consortium consists of UiO, UiB, PRIO and DIIS. 7 peer-review articles, 1 PhD thesis, 1 Norwegian-language edited volume on return policies and 6 policy briefs communicate quality-approved findings to a diverse audience.

Publications from Cristin

Funding scheme:

VAM-Velferd, arbeid og migrasjon