Periodic Reporting for period 1 - AspirE (Decision making of aspiring (re)migrants to and within the EU: the case of labour market-leading migrations from Asia)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-01-01 al 2023-12-31
Basing itself on several migration theories in various disciplines, the project AspirE adopts a framework that humanises research on (non-)migration decision-making by highlighting its human aspects in three ways: engendering, decolonising, and situating the analysis in temporal, psychological, relational, and social contexts. This project poses the following research questions: (1) how do migration regimes in the countries of origin and destination consider (aspiring) (re)migrants’ behaviour in their policies? (2) Why do people decide to (re)migrate or to stay? (3) When do individuals’ migration decisions evolve? AspirE's objectives are: to map to what extent spatial mobility policies consider aspiring (re)migrants’ behaviour; to identify the micro- and meso-level drivers of mobility aspiration and/or intention; and to determine the temporality of (non-)mobility decision-making. To attain its first objective, AspirE examines the extent to which specific State policies consider individuals’ behaviour with regard to spatial mobility and immobility. For its second objective, the focus is put on drivers of and aspirations as well as intention to (re)migrate. To achieve its third objective, AspirE focuses on the “stages of decision making”, i.e. the evolution over time of an individual’s aspiration and/or intention to (re)migrate or not. The gender dimension of (re)migration decision making is taken into account to obtain a well nuanced picture of such a process. As a case study, this project analyses the decision-making of aspiring (re)migrants from selected Southeast and East Asian countries (China, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) to and within selected EU member countries (Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Finland). Regardless of the mobility channels taken to reach Europe, most of these migrants become incorporated, at one point in their migration trajectories, on a full- or part-time basis into the labour market of their receiving countries and/or immerse themselves in the ethnic (in)formal economy of their co-nationals. AspirE investigates how such migratory movements occur, specifically how the decision to migrate to or within Europe takes place among aspiring Asian (re)migrants. In terms of data-gathering techniques, AspirE adopts “decolonising” methodologies that highlights diverse emic perspectives through the use of qualitative and participatory methods (e.g. policy content analysis, expert interviews, semi-structured interviews, social network mapping, video diaries, and focus group discussion). The results of AspirE’s data analysis will contribute to enhance EU migration policies, which will avoid (prospective) re/migrants falling into a difficult situation of irregularity and precarity.
The project AspirE started by addressing WP1 (ethics requirements) via the nomination of an External Ethics Advisor. The consortium also started its WP5 (trainings), coordinated by Masaryk University, with the organisation of trainings for AspirE's early career researchers. Concerning the scientific part of AspirE, its first empirical work package is WP2 led by the University of Milan involving content analysis of EU mobility policies and expert interviews. WP2 findings were presented in the following forms: a presentation during the European Commission’s roundtable discussion on “Bridging research and policy”, 11 country reports and 1 pan-EU report published on the project’s website, and a webinar. The two other empirical work packages – WP3 and WP4 – are still ongoing: the former started in June 2023 under the coordination of the Université libre de Bruxelles, whereas the latter begun in January 2024 under the coordination of Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon. WP3 aims to collect micro- and meso-level data through semi-structured interviews of aspiring (re)migrants and social network mapping. Its findings will be presented in scientific events and a webinar. Regarding WP4, video diaries collection and two-step focus group discussions will be organised. Its findings will be shared to the public in the following forms: presentations in conferences, webinar, and online/onsite exhibit.The last three WPs (WP6, WP7, and WP8) are being coordinated by the Université libre de Bruxelles. WP6 (data management) started before the data collection took place to develop data-related documents ensuring the project’s compliance to GDPR and the logistics to securely keep the data collected. WP7 (impact) was launched with the project website (https://aspire.ulb.be) where the following is available; first set of podcasts, a report on the impact of dissemination strategies, newsletter archives. Finally, WP8 (project management) has been implemented since the start of the project. The related tasks are dealt by the coordinating university and facilitated with the hiring of a project manager.
AspirE has recently completed its first empirical work package (WP2) focusing on the place of human behaviour in 6 selected EU mobility policies through policy content analysis and expert interviews. Some of the important findings from this WP are as follows: differential treatment of Third Country Nationals (TCNs); the impact of historical ties and political party in power; the importance of initiatives and collaboration/dialogues between the country of origin and destination of migrants; (dis)advantages of social networks; the role of intermediaries, skills recognition; and human behaviour in mobility policies.