Episode 17: Migration and development - linkages, causes, and consequences with Prof. Melissa Siegel

Hello and welcome to yet another episode of the Migration & Diaspora Podcast, with me your host Loksan Harley. Today we're returning to the fascinating topic of migration and development and how each affects the other. And I have the ideal guest on to share her wisdom on the topic - Dr Melissa Siegel from the United Nations University Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT). Melissa is a Professor and Head of Migration Studies at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance and UNU-MERIT where she manages several migration research projects and coordinates the Migration Studies Specialization of the Master’s Program in Public Policy and Human Development. She is Co-Director of the Maastricht Center for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE). She currently holds the Chair of the UNU Migration Network and is a Research Associate at the Center on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford. She is also on the advisory board of the Migration Policy Centre of the European University Institute (EUI). She has advised, worked on, trained, or headed projects for several governments and international organisations. Her main research interests lie in the causes and consequences of migration with a strong emphasis on the linkages between migration and development. And those areas of her expertise are exactly the topics that we're focusing on today. In our interview, I was able to squeeze Dr Siegel for all the expertise I could get. We talk about how development affects migration (including the "migration hump") and how migration affects development, including the most common misconceptions about those relationships. We also elaborate on how those misconceptions then translate into misguided policies and the effects of those policies. Finally, we talk a bit about Melissa and UNU-MERIT's fantastic work to create a variety of content on migration that speaks to a diversity of audiences - from scholars and policy-makers to the general public - including through Melissa's excellent YouTube channel, through which she shares useful explainer videos on different migration themes. Without further ado, thank you so much for listening and enjoy the show.  Show notes: Melissa @ UNU-MERIT UNU-MERIT Melissa's YouTube channel Connect with Melissa on LinkedIn Melissa's website Mygration Story: Giving back through transnational living The "migration hump" relationship between migration and development Melissa and Prof De Haas discuss migration and development Follow @MelissaSiegel1 on Twitter Episode 10 on mainstreaming migration