Boglanceringsseminar: Når international migration gøres kommerciel

TIME: Thursday, 21 February, 14 – 16

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

Over the last few decades, a host of new commercial opportunities have emerged that capitalize both on the migrants’ desires to migrate and the struggle by governments to manage migration.

TIME: Thursday, 21 February, 14 – 16

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K.

Over the last few decades, a host of new commercial opportunities have emerged that capitalize both on the migrants’ desires to migrate and the struggle by governments to manage migration.

From the rapid growth of specialized transportation and labour contracting companies, to multinational businesses managing detention centres or establishing border security, to the organized criminal networks profiting from human smuggling and trafficking.

Migration has become big business, and international migration has become increasingly commercialized.

In the new book The Migration Industry and the Commercialization of International Migration (Routledge, 2012) edited by Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen and Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, this growing migration industry is examined in all its facets and different geographical dimensions.

As the volume testifies, it is impossible to speak of migration today without also speaking of the migration industry.

Yet, acknowledging the role the migration industry plays raises a number of questions for how we think about migration in general, and how we should design migration policies.

How should states work with contracting companies to attract labour migration; what are the financial, policy, and human rights consequences of the sprawling privatization of migration management functions; and what is the interplay between migration policies and the clandestine parts of the migration industry, such as human smuggling?

The seminar will take on these and many other questions.

It will commence with a short presentation of the book by the editors, followed by critical interventions from Khalid Koser, contextualizing the book in the wider field of migration studies.

The second part of the seminar will focus on the impact of the migration industry on migration policy and include a presentation by Henrik Ankerstjerne, and Alexander Betts based on his contribution to the volume.

Speakers:

– Khalid Koser, Deputy Director, GCSP, Geneva
– Alexander Betts, Associate Professor, University of Oxford
– Henrik Ankerstjerne, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Danish Ministry of Justice
– Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, DIIS
– Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, Senior Researcher, DIIS
– Anita Bay Bundegaard, Managing Editor, Politiken og fhv. udviklingsminister (R)

PROGRAMME:

14.00-14.05: Introduction; Anita Bay Bundegaard, Managing Editor, Politiken

14.05-14.15: The Growing Commercialization of International Migration; Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, Senior Researcher, DIIS; Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

14.15-14.45: The Theoretical and Practical Value of Migration Industry Conceptualizations; Khalid Koser, Deputy Director, GCSP, Geneva

14.45-15.00: Coffee Break

15.00-15.15: Global Migration Governance; Alexander Betts, Associate Professor, University of Oxford

15.15-15.30: The Policy Relevance of the Migration Industry; Henrik Ankerstjerne, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Danish Ministry of Justice

15.30-16.00: Open Discussion

16.00-17.45: Reception

Chair: Anita Bay Bundegaard, Managing Editor, Politiken

The seminar will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Read more about the seminar and use the online registration form on the website no later than Wednesday, 20 February at 12 noon.

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.