Successful applicants will receive Visiting Research Fellow
status at the University of Sussex, be based in the Sussex Centre for Migration
Research in the School of Global Studies and will work closely with researchers
from Migrating out of Poverty.
The University of
Sussex is ranked first in the world for development studies.
"Sussex’ world-leading reputation for international development
gives us much to celebrate. It's thanks to the concentration of expertise that
spans the University and brings us together with our close colleagues and
partners, the Institute of Development Studies. Our critical, engaged research
on the global issues of our times infuses our teaching in the School of Global
Studies, from our undergraduate programmes in International Development to a dynamic
portfolio of postgraduate degrees that include long-standing and new
cross-campus collaborations with IDS, SPRU, CIE and Brighton and Sussex Medical
School. We’re really pleased to be recognised in this way.” - Head of School, Andrea Cornwall
Our aim is for fellows to participate in and contribute to the broader research objectives of Migrating out of Poverty, addressing research and/or policy issues related to migration, gender, poverty and development in the Global South. Our team is global with researchers based in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the UK. We welcome applicants working in our countries of focus or with similar research themes to ours, described below, but will also consider original themes that provide new angles on migration and development related issues in the Global South.
Our research themes
Income and Remittances
Our research examines the impact of migration on the welfare
of households by exploring patterns of remittance sending and their use, livelihood
activities and outcomes such as poverty, consumption, asset ownership and
living standards. We are building longitudinal rural household surveys for
Ghana, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe that allow us to explore changes over time between
households with and without migrants, and how these differences vary by
important characteristics of the migrants and their families, such as
destination and duration of migration, age, gender and skills of the migrant,
and initial welfare standards of the household.
Our surveys also provide useful profiles of migrants and their
remittance sending behaviour
Gender and
Generation
Little is known about how migration, gender and generation
intersect at the household level or how economic, social and cultural changes
impact on these relations. Our research explores complex and multi-layered
household dynamics within the family who remain back home in rural communities
in Ethiopia, Ghana, Senegal and Zimbabwe. An additional aim is to discern
whether there are marked differences between migration to places that are accessible, low-cost and often linked with
low financial return (internal/cross-border migration) and migration to places
with higher entry barriers, high costs and expectations of high financial
returns (international migration). We build evidence for
gender-responsive approaches to policy-making and programming.
Migration
Industry
The migration of an individual usually involves a range of
actors including their own social networks, brokers, border control agencies,
training and certification
institutions and even NGOs and religious organisations. These entities,
collectively known as the “migration industry”, have grown due to the
tightening of restrictions on legal options for migration and their
increasingly complex procedures. This has different impacts on the welfare,
rights, freedom and economic status of migrants and the research on this theme
aims to gain deeper insights into these dynamics in different cultural
contexts. An improved understanding of the infrastructure that facilitates
migration enables us to make suggestions to reduce exploitation and maximise
benefits.
Our digital spaces
Who can
apply?
We welcome applications from early career academics and more
established academics employed by another Higher Education Institution, as well
as from professionals working for local, national and international government
and non-governmental organisations. We particularly encourage applicants from
the Global South.
English is the principal working language of Migrating out
of Poverty. For both academic and practical purposes, applicants should have
fluency in English.
How long
are the fellowships?
Fellowships will usually be for a duration of between 4 and
12 weeks during normal term time, although longer periods may be possible
(dependent on the ability to self-fund).
Facilities
and practicalities:
The Migrating out of Poverty research consortium will provide
office space and access to university services including computing, meeting
rooms and the library. We encourage applicants that have funding for their
visit via their institutions, but we may be able to reimburse travel and living
expenses for those not able to secure funding.
Visiting Research Fellows are subject to UK Home Office
immigration regulations. Visitors from outside the European Economic Area must
ensure that they obtain an appropriate visa to carry out research in the
University prior to arrival in the UK.
Applying:
To begin an application, please first send an abbreviated
CV, a 1000-word outline of proposed research (including signalling any specific
links to our research themes), duration of intended stay, and desired/expected
output(s). Please include details with web links of your current institution
and position and the level of financial support you have. If shortlisted, we
will ask for two references.
Send an initial application or informal inquiries to migrationrpc@sussex.ac.uk with the subject line: ‘Visiting Research Fellow
application’
Migrating out of Poverty, specifically the research theme
leaders: Priya Deshingkar, Dorte Thorsen and Julie Litchfield, will review the
applications.
For further information, please read the School of Global
Studies web page on Visiting Research Fellows: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/global/research/academicvisitors/visitingresearchfellows
Once selected for a fellowship by Migrating out of Poverty,
the candidate will receive further instructions similar to the procedures in
the link above, however please send all application related communication or
queries to migrationrpc@sussex.ac.uk
Deadline for applications:
31 July
2018
(for anyone wishing to visit in the Fall 2018 term)
or
31 October 2018
(for anyone wishing to visit in the Spring 2019 term)
