Sorana Toma

The Role of Migration Policies in the Attraction and Retention of International Talent: The Case of Indian Researchers

Governments are increasingly implementing policies aimed at attracting or retaining highly skilled migrants. While a growing number of studies examine the effectiveness of these efforts, the actual mechanisms through which migration policies may operate have not been questioned. Drawing on an aspirations-capability framework for mobility, this article explores the role of migration policies in the geographic mobility decisions of researchers, a highly skilled group that has been specifically targeted by such policies. Focusing on Indian researchers and using qualitative methodology (N = 40), we examine their decisions to study and/or work abroad, to stay or move elsewhere. The article shows that while migration policies do not seem to be influential in the attraction of students and researchers, they do play a role in the retention and subsequent moves of international talent.

Can Public Housing Decrease Segregation? Lessons and Challenges From Non-European Immigration in France

Recent decades have seen a rapid increase in the share of non-European immigrants in public housing in Europe, which has led to concern regarding the rise of ghettos in large cities. Using French census data over three decades, we examine how this increase in public housing participation has affected segregation. While segregation levels have increased moderately, on average, the number of immigrant enclaves has grown. The growth of enclaves is being driven by the large increase in non-European immigrants in the census tracts where the largest housing projects are located, both in the housing projects and the surrounding nonpublic dwellings. As a result, contemporary differences in segregation levels across metropolitan areas are being shaped by the concentration of public housing within cities, in particular the share of non-European immigrants in large housing projects constructed before the 1980s. Nevertheless, the overall effect of public housing on segregation has been ambiguous. While large projects have increased segregation, the inflows of non-European immigrants into small projects have brought many immigrants into census tracts where they have previously been rare and, thus, diminished segregation levels.

Engaging with Its Diaspora: The Case of Senegal

The Senegalese diaspora is widely spread across the globe, with long-established communities in neighboring African countries, Europe and, more recently, North America. Its members maintain strong ties with their origin communities and families, and are highly active in the economic development of their homeland. The Senegalese state’s engagement with the diaspora is more recent, but numerous measures have been implemented since 2000. Among these initiatives, we can identify all three types described by Alan Gamlen: capacity building, extending rights, and extracting obligations, with the latter being most prevalent.

Emigration and Development in Senegal

Despite a long history and high levels of international out-migration flows, Senegal does not have a coherent migration policy framework. Its approach to managing migration is done on a case-by-case basis, often based on urgency and reflecting a lack of coordination between the institutions involved in dealing with migration. Nonetheless, Senegal has been implementing a series of policies meant to engage with its diaspora and to manage migration flows, placing them at the centre of its relations with the main international partners.

Putting social capital in (a family) perspective: Determinants of labour market outcomes among Senegalese women in Europe

This article examines the ways in which the family context of migration and migrant networks shape the economic integration of immigrant women. It focuses on Senegalese women’s labour market outcomes in Europe, using recently collected quantitative data from the ‘Migration between Africa and Europe’ project. The family context of migration is one of the most important drivers of employment: women migrating independently are more likely to work than those who reunite with their partner at destination; marriage migrants are the least likely to be employed. In contrast, the role of migrant networks is less influential and depends largely on the family context. Sharing childcare is the most important function of social networks for women migrating with young children. For those migrating independently of a partner, female ties are the most influential social resource in securing employment. However, confirming previous qualitative findings, these networks lead to low-quality jobs upon arrival.