Chaire Quetelet 2008

South-North International Migrations. A Comparison of Policy, Research and NGO Perspectives

December 3-5, 2008
Institut de démographie, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Call for papers

South-North international migrations are at the centre stage of major political debates. Selective immigration, assisted return programmes, strengthening of border controls, development of remittances and integration policies are some of the central issues in these debates. Policy-makers, researchers and non-governmental organisations are all involved in these debates, even though their objectives, knowledge and experiences are often varied, and even divergent. The objective of the 2008 Quetelet Seminar will be to encourage the exchange of knowledge and experiences, the confrontation of points of view and the dialogue between these actors on the question of South-North international migrations.

Researchers, NGO workers and policy-makers will be gathered around each of the four themes addressed during the conference. Presentations will deal with theoretical and empirical analyses of South-North migrations, as well as with policies and NGO programs in departure and destination areas. A particular attention will be brought to the information sources used in the presentations. Comparative approaches across countries and over time are encouraged.

The Quetelet Seminar will be organised around four themes

1. Migration departures. Studies on causes, motivations and strategies of migrations have developed over the last few years. However, numerous questions still remain unanswered, especially on the role of individual and family factors in migration processes. Which factors influence migration departure, at the micro and macro levels? What are the steps taken by the migrants and their families for their successful migration? What dissuasive actions and public awareness campaigns have been implemented in departure countries, and what are their effects? What are the impacts of migration policies in destination countries on migration strategies?

2. Integration and future of migrants. The integration experiences of migrants into Northern societies vary across destination and origin countries, the gender and skills of migrants, and their family situation. How migrant populations’ futures are taken into account, for example with regards to children’s education and health care for ageing populations, also varies from one context to another. This session will focus on the question of the integration and the future of migrant populations from various points of view. For instance, which factors influence access to employment, housing and health care? Which policies have been implemented for migrant integration in Northern countries? What place do illegal immigrants occupy? How is the question of ageing of migrant populations from the South dealt with in host countries?

3. The relationships between migrants and their home countries. The relationships between migrants and their home countries have changed considerably over the last decades as new means of communication and transportation have developed. Remittances are a major aspect of the relationships between migrants and their families and origin communities. What factors influence the type and volume of these remittances, and what are their effects on migrants’ families, communities and home countries? What policies have been implemented to encourage remittances and their beneficial effects? What are the influences of diaspora on technological transfers, commercial exchanges and cultural changes?

4. Return migrations and migrant circulation. In spite of their political importance, returns of international migrants and circular migrations have been studied very little. What factors facilitate or discourage return migration, and how have these migrations evolved over the last decades? How do migrants perceive the issue of returning to their home countries? What types of assisted voluntary return programmes have been implemented, and what are their impacts and limitations? How are temporary labour migrations and the return of labour migrants conceived of in international agreements? What are the actions of authorities and NGOs towards deported migrants, and how do these migrants reintegrate in their home countries? How has circular migration between Southern ad Northern countries evolved in the last decades?

Abstracts

Submission
Abstracts should be submitted by email by June 15, 2008 to Isabelle Theys (isabelle.theys@uclouvain.be). Authors of accepted papers will be notified before June 30.

Format
The abstract (2 pages) will include the following information:- Title of the paper
- The author(s) full contact information
- Session for which the paper is intended
- Summary of the paper’s objective, background, data and research methods, etc.

Language
Papers will be presented in French or English, without simultaneous interpretation.

Papers
The completed papers should be sent by November 15, 2008 to isabelle.theys@uclouvain.be. The papers will be made available online on the Institut de démographie website (www.uclouvain.be/demo), and will remain available after the Quetelet Seminar.

Deadlines
Deadline for abstracts: June 15, 2008
Author notification of accepted paper abstracts: June 30, 2008
Deadline for completed paper: November 15, 2008
Quetelet Seminar: December 3-5, 2008

Registration fees
complete : 80€
student : 10€
The fees mut be paid when te registration form is sent or, at the latest, before te opening of the conference, in cash, crossed cheque, or interaional money order to bank account no. 091-00157228-43 of the Institut de démographie (mention: DEMO56L1/CQ2008).

Organisation
Institut de démographie, Université catholique de Louvain

Scientific committee
Bruno Schoumaker (Institut de démographie, UCL)
Thierry Eggerickx (Gédap, UCL)
Sophie Vause (Institut de démographie, UCL)
José Mangalu (Institut de démographie, UCL et Université de Kinshasa)
Godelieve Masuy-Stroobant (Institut de démographie, UCL)
Dominique Tabutin (Institut de démographie, UCL)Johan Wets (HIVA, KU Leuven)
Frédéric Docquier (IRES, UCL)
Dirk Jacobs (Institut de sociologie, Université libre de Bruxelles)

Contact
Isabelle Theys
Institut de démographie
Université catholique de Louvain
1/17 Place Montesquieu
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiqueTel.: +32 10 472951
Fax: +32 10 472952
isabelle.theys@uclouvain.be
www.uclouvain.be/demo

| contact : Isabelle Theys | 15/05/2008 |