MICEE

 

The main scientific aim of the project is to fill the research gap concerning the conditions of the development and functioning of the migration industry in Central and Eastern European countries. The empirical aim is to identify and explain the importance of the mechanisms underlying the expansion of specialised entities responsible for the commercialisation of migration in countries with high emigration potential. Case studies of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus, countries characterised by different migration, political or legal regimes, will be used. On a theoretical level, the aim of the project is to enrich the theory of the migration industry, especially in relation to the migration brokerage system (Stovel and Shaw 2012; Faist 2013). For this purpose, a qualitative study of the migration brokerage system will be conducted, taking into account both a long-term perspective (over 20 years) and current events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the political crisis in Belarus and the war as well as humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. In addition to the secondary data analysis (e.g. publications, statistics), websites, empirical research will be of particular importance, using elements of participatory observation and in-depth interviews with the key stakeholders. The results of the research will allow for a better understanding of the importance of specific conditions (e.g. legal, political, economic, social), especially crisis circumstances and their impact on the activities of migration industry actors and the changing nature of migration flows. The issue of the migration industry and the commercialisation of migration in Central and Eastern Europe is still a relatively under-researched topic, especially in the comparative dimension.

Duration

2022 - 2023

Source of funding

Nowe Idee 2A, POB V, IDUB UW