Publications
Selected Publications
ON MIGRATION THEORY
“Understanding immobility: Moving beyond the mobility bias in migration studies,” International Migration Review, 2019, link
This article suggests that there is a mobility bias in migration research: by focusing on the “drivers” of migration — the forces that lead to the initiation and perpetuation of migration flows — migration theories neglect the countervailing structural and personal forces that restrict or resist these drivers and lead to different immobility outcomes. It offers a conceptual framework for analyzing different kinds of immobility, synthesizes decades of interdisciplinary research to help explain why people do not migrate or desire to migrate, and considers future directions for further research.
“Revisiting aspiration and ability in international migration” (with Jørgen Carling), Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2018, link
It is a refreshingly simple thought that migration is the combined result of two factors: the aspiration to migrate and the ability to migrate. Without having to resort to overly structural or individualistic explanations, this analytical distinction helps disentangle complex questions around why some people migrate but others do not. Still, aspiration and ability raise their own thorny theoretical and methodological questions. To begin with, what does it mean to have migration aspirations? How can such concepts be objects of empirical research? And is it meaningful to say that individuals possess the ability to migrate if their preference is to stay?
ON MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN ETHIOPIA
“Ethiopia’s Migration Transition" (with Asmamaw Legass Bahir), Migration Studies, 2021, link
This paper examines the impact of Ethiopia’s historical development on the nature, volume and direction of internal and international migration. We describe three important trends associated with an emerging ‘mobility transition’: the sedentarization of nomadic and semi-nomadic populations; the urbanization of internal migration trajectories; and the diversification of international migration. This detailed case study contributes to a growing body of research on the ‘mobility transition’ by revealing how a society’s entire mobility complex changes—not only levels of international migration—as the social transformations associated with modern-day development proceed.
“The Aspiration for Change: Ethiopian Women’s Labor Migration to the Middle East,” Social Forces, 2021, link
Labor migration from Ethiopia to the Middle is one the rise, and one notable cohort is young women who migrate for domestic work. This papers asks why young women decide to leave, particularly given the significant risks associated with irregular migration. Based on survey data and 84 in-depth interviews, it explores the forces shaping young women’s aspirations and capabilities to migrate, challenging the dominant narratives of trafficking, deception and victimization that surround this migration corridor. This article applies the aspiration-capability framework to show why labor emigration can simultaneously be a reasonable, capabilities-enhancing choice for young women, and a response to a critical lack of capabilities in other domains of their lives. It offers a theoretical approach that avoids the common binary between ‘forced’ and ‘voluntary’ migration and thus contributes to the study of other forms of precarious migration occurring under highly constrained conditions.
“Formal education and migration aspirations in Ethiopia,” Population and Development Review, 2018 (with Sonja Fransen), link
Expanding access to education is a universal aim of development policy, and young people today are entering formal schooling on unprecedented levels. Taking Ethiopia as a case study, we explore the influence of educational attainment on the migration aspirations of young people. Using novel survey data collected among rural and urban Ethiopian youth from the Young Lives project, we find that even completing primary levels of education increases the aspiration to live elsewhere. Formal education appears to be one important driver of a broader aspirational shift away from rural, agrarian livelihoods towards urban, professional futures.
“Ziway or Dubai: Can Flower Farms in Ethiopia Reduce Migration to the Middle East?” IOM Migration Research Series, 2018, link
The rise of migration of Ethiopian women as domestic workers to Middle East is a serious concern of government and international organizations alike. The dominant narrative about this migration is overwhelmingly negative—one of exploitation and abuse, illegality and risk. Why do women leave under such conditions? And can generating employment in Ethiopia alleviate its root causes? This research is an in-depth study of the migration decision-making of young women in one rural district of Oromia, Ethiopia. I explore the aspirations, opportunities and constraints young women navigate as they transition into adulthood, the rationale behind a decision to migrate as a domestic worker, and whether expanding employment on local flower farms can act as a substitute to women's labor emigration.
ON IMMOBILITY
"Voluntary Immobility: A Global Analysis of Staying Preferences" (with Alix Debray and Ilse Ruyssen), forthcoming in International Migration Review
This paper offers the first global analysis of the aspiration to stay, defined here as the preference to stay in one’s country of residence. We make use of the unique Gallup World Polls which provide information on aspirations to stay (as opposed to migrating abroad) as well as on individual characteristics and opinions for 130 countries worldwide between 2010-2016. We find staying aspirations are far more common than migration aspirations across the globe and uncover important ‘retain factors’ often overlooked in research on migration drivers – related to social ties, local amenities, trust in community institutions, and life satisfaction. Overall, those who aspire to stay tend to be more content, socially supported and live in communities with stronger institutions and better local amenities. Our findings contribute to a more holistic understanding of migration decision-making, illuminating the personal, social, economic, and institutional retain factors countering those that push and pull.
“Who Prefers to Stay? Voluntary Immobility among Youth in Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam” (with Sonja Fransen), Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2022, link
Far fewer people migrate than global disparities in wealth and well-being would lead us to predict, yet we know relatively little about why those who presumably have much to gain from migration prefer to stay in place. Using survey data collected in Ethiopia, India, and Vietnam for the Young Lives Project, this article examines the motivations of young people who express the preference to stay put, and asks what individual and household characteristics are associated with voluntary immobility.
"Staying put: Why It's Time to Pay More Attention to Mixed Immobility," Mixed Migration Review, 2021, link
Hundreds of millions of people across the world choose not or are unable to migrate despite facing migration drivers such as socioeconomic insecurity, dire geoclimatic conditions, conflict, and failed governance structures. This “mixed immobility” has major implications for humanitarian action and policymaking.
ON CLIMATE-RELATED MIGRATION
“Articulating and Claiming the Right to Stay in the Context of Climate Change” (with Monica Iyer), Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, forthcoming
Climate-related displacement is a topic of increasing concern in both academic research and the political, social, and humanitarian spheres. As many seek to develop legal regimes that will allow those living in the most climate-affected areas to move with dignity, individuals and communities living in these countries, regions, and localities are often resistant to the idea of migration as their best adaptation option, and instead call for policy choices that will allow them to stay in place. In this article we seek to legally situate these calls for a right to stay and examine the specific forms that they are taking on the ground.
"Who Counts as a Climate Migrant?" Migration Policy Institute, 2023, link
This article reviews definitions of climate migration. It reveals the difficulties of distinguishing climate migrants from other kinds of economic or humanitarian migrants, particularly in low- and lower-middle income countries, and it highlights that the populations most vulnerable to climate change are often those who cannot migrate. Rather than attempt to identify and create legal pathways for a new category of climate migrants, it suggests analysts consider how existing policy tools such as humanitarian visas and labor pathways can be leveraged to address the opportunities and challenges of mixed migration from climate-stressed contexts.
"How Well Can We Predict Climate Migration? A Review of Forecasting Models" (with Sarah Dickerson, B. Madson, Gabriela Nagle Alverio), forthcoming in Frontiers in Climate, Special Issue: Climate Mobility Modeling: Methodological Advances and Future Prospects.
Planning for the wide spectrum of future climate-related mobility is a key challenge facing development planners and policy makers. This article reviews the state of climate-related migration forecasting models. We present the key characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of recent modeling approaches, including gravity, radiation, agent-based, systems dynamics and statistical extrapolation models, and consider five illustrative models in depth. We show why, at this stage of development, forecasting models are not yet able to provide reliable numerical estimates of future climate-related migration and consider the implications for future research, policy, and scenarios-based planning.