Research Programme Consortium – Moving Out of Poverty (2010-2015; Department for International Development / University of Sussex; Loren Landau & Aurelia Segatti: Coordination of Policy Theme)

Background and objectives:

In late 2010, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom approved funding for a research consortium entitled: ‘Migrating out of Poverty’. Coordinated by the University of Sussex, the consortium includes five core partners: the Refugee & Migratory Movements Research Unit at Dhaka University, Bangladesh; the Centre for Migration Studies at the University of Ghana; the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore; African Migration and Development Policy Centre in Nairobi, Kenya and the African Centre for Migration and Society at the University of Witwatersrand (ACMS; formerly the Forced Migration Studies Programme). Each of these core centres is charged with working with associate partner institutions in their respective regions.

Research themes:

As currently conceived, the consortium will address four primary research themes over the coming five years: the drivers of migration; the impacts of mobility; the collection and use of data; and policy formation and transformation. Within these broad themes, the consortium is expected to explore a range of sub-themes including, but not limited to: livelihoods; urbanisation; rural development; climate change; social protection; health, labour; and improving the collection, production and analysis of survey and administrative data with national statistical offices. Rather than assemble a single team to conduct all of these projects, the consortium will form research teams (regional and comparative) that will undertake a variety of small and large scale research initiatives. While initially supported through the core DFID grant, these partnerships could eventually work on larger projects drawing on other sources.

To take this process forward, the ACMS is convening a meeting with a selection of potential partners in February 2011. At this stage, the network’s research agenda and institutional configuration is still quite malleable with the final direction depending heavily on the feedback we receive from this meeting and subsequent discussions with our European and Asian partners.

ACMS’ role in MOP consortium:

ACMS is a core regional partner in charge of organising research and dissemination in Southern Africa. It is also in charge of coordinating research in the Policy Theme.

For more information check out the programme's website: http://www.migrationdrc.org/.

Research Programme Consortium – Moving Out of Poverty (2010-2015; Department for International Development / University of Sussex; Loren Landau & Aurelia Segatti: Coordination of Policy Theme) Publications

Segatti, A. (2011).  Responding to Human Mobility: Is Local Government Set up for Failure?. 1-8.
Landau, L. B., Segatti A., & Misago J. P. (2011).  Governing Migration and Urbanisation in South African Municipalities – Developing Approaches to Counter Poverty and Social Fragmentation.
Gernetzky, K. (2011).  Census 2011 ‘to count almost every person’. Business Day.
du Preez, M. (2011).  Xenophobic perceptions increasing tensions: report.

Research Programme Consortium – Moving Out of Poverty (2010-2015; Department for International Development / University of Sussex; Loren Landau & Aurelia Segatti: Coordination of Policy Theme) events

Governing Migration and Urbanisation in South African Municipalities: Developing approaches to counter poverty and social fragmentation (August 18, 2011 - 18:00 - 20:00)

At a time when South African municipalities are faced with planning for increasingly diverse and mobile populations, they are often left with little guidance and best practice experience to draw on.