Title of Project: Migration, Transformation and Sustainability (MISTY)

Project Summary

The objectiveof the MISTY project is to use theory and rigorous empirical research to expand knowledge of transformations to sustainability by incorporating migration dynamics. These specifically include: the impact of aggregate flows of people on sustainability; the individual lifecourse dimensions of sustainability; and the governance of migration and suatatinability.

There is unprecedented concern over involuntary migration globally affecting insecurity and human rights. But both domestic and international mihgration has enomous transformative potential for individuals and societies. Transformation theories assume static populations and fail to recognize both positive and negative impacts of the movement of people. This gap limits explanations and intervention strategies for sustainability.

This research project will will develop a comprehensive migration-sustainability model, and develop insights on sustainability strategies at local, national and international scales. It will build global capacity of social science to explain and engage with migration dimensions of transformations to sustainability. The interdisciplinary social-science led consortium from Europe, North America, Asia and Africa builds on on-going methodological innovation and deep collaboration.

The research design involves modeling, observation and action research at global scale aand in research sites representing the full range of so-called migration transitions. The outcome will be co-designed advances in theory and salient and workable sustainability strategies reflecting real world migration dynamicsThis research integrates comprehensive insights on migration into theories of transformation to sustainability.

Participating Institutions

1. University of Exeter
2. University of Liege
3. Clark University
4. Lund University Centre for Sustainably Studies
5. Regional Institute for Population Studies, University of Ghana
6. University of Amsterdam