Scholar awarded British Academy grant to boost collaborative migration research in Global South
Fiona B. Adamson, Professor of International Relations, has received a grant worth over £100k to understand the role migration think tanks play in shaping policy.
The collaborative project aims to establish best practices for evidence-based knowledge and policy making on migration across the Global South by examining migration think tanks. These organisations play a crucial yet understudied role in shaping global migration management, labour rights, and welfare protection, particularly in the Asia-Middle East region.
This research project addresses significant gaps in our understanding of global migration, with a specific focus on the Asia-Middle East corridor.
The project will also document the number and types of migration think tanks across Asia while evaluating the quality and effectiveness of their knowledge production.
Speaking on the research project, Professor Adamson added:
“In an era of increasing global mobility and interconnectedness, understanding and managing migration flows has become crucial for international relations, economic development, and social policy. This research project addresses significant gaps in our understanding of global migration, with a specific focus on the Asia-Middle East corridor.”
The project will run through March 2026, with a two-day workshop to be held in February in Quezon City, Metro Manila, to facilitate wider collaboration among representatives of migration think tanks based in migrant-origin countries in Asia, representatives from migrant groups, NGOs, and members of the Philippine government.
Entitled 'Migration Think Tanks in the Global South: The Global Politics of Knowledge Production and Its Impact on Evidence-Informed Policy Making in the Asia-Middle East Migration Corridor,' the project involves Professor Adamson in a collaboration with Professor Jean Encinas-Franco of the Department of Political Science, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines (Diliman) and Froilan T. Malit Jr - a Filipino migration specialist based in the Gulf, who will be joining SOAS as a PhD student in September. Further information on the grant and wider recipients can be found via The British Academy.
The SOAS Department of Politics and International Studies provides expert grounding in Politics and International Relations, through deep engagement with the historical legacies and political realities of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.
