Research projects
Migrants Integration Territorial Index (MITI)
MITI (Migrants Integration Territorial Index) is an international project funded by the European Union within the INTI programme. It is led by Caritas, Rome with partners in Britain (Middlesex University, Rosemary Sales and Alessio D’Angelo) and in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The project aims to discuss definitions, characteristics and indicators of integration and the availability of statistics to allow cross-country comparisons. The project will include the creation and analysis of a database of comparable statistics from the participating countries.
Cityscapes of Diaspora: Images and Realities of London’s Chinatown
This eighteen month research project focuses on images of London’s Chinatown and the ways in which is it used by different groups, both Chinese and non-Chinese. The project is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and carried out by researchers based at Middlesex University.
The project will explore images of Chinatown, its importance for different individuals and groups (both Chinese and non-Chinese) and the extent to which Chinatown ‘belongs’ to the Chinese community. It is also aimed to produce information relevant to community organisations and other agencies providing services for Chinese communities.
Chinatown project leaflet (English - 23kb) : Chinatown project leaflet (Chinese - 127kb)
Dispersal of Asylum Seekers and Social Exclusion in the United Kingdom- Patricia Hynes - ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship (Award Number PTA-026-27-1254)
The compulsory dispersal of asylum seekers was introduced in 2000 following the Immigration & Asylum Act 1999. The main aim of this Postdoctoral Fellowship is to disseminate the findings of a doctoral thesis examining the formal and informal social exclusion experienced by asylum seekers during dispersal. Dissemination will be to both academic and practitioner audiences.
It was found that multiple forms of social exclusion relating to the declining entitlements of asylum seekers as well as the geography, structure and process of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) system existed. There was a significant relationship between dispersal locations and areas of deprivation and the process offered limited space for the restoration of institutional or political trust.
New Migrant Communities in the UK
This research seeks firstly to map new migrant communities in selected areas, reviewing available information about demographics, needs, services used and available, and likely future developments and, secondly, to identify possible opportunities for RHA to develop services with these communities.
New Migrant Communities in the UK
Civic Stratification, Gender and Family Migration Policies in Europe
The project will: provide a historically informed analysis of family related modes of entry; different categories of migrants and according to gender; investigate the rationale behind conditionalities and restrictions placed on family migration; and finally, investigate the empirical consequences of gender-differentiated family migration policies on migrants and how migrants in turn respond to and challenge restrictive rules on family migration.
Civic Stratification, Gender and Family Migration Policies in Europe
Formalisation of New Arrival Enterprises
This project will build an initial evidence base for policy makers and those delivering business support concerning the economic and social basis of informal enterprise among refugees and new arrival communities, and existing and possible responses. The project aims comprise:
- To analyse the operation of informal business activities within new and emergent communities to better understand the economic and social basis for such operation and the barriers to formalising such activity
- To identify the barriers that business support agencies face in promoting the formalisation of RNA enterprises.
- To review current policy practice both in the UK and internationally towards encouraging formalisation of enterprises to develop more appropriate policy responses and business support mechanisms
- To identify appropriate business support mechanisms that recognise the particular challenges of reaching businesses operating informally and can encourage formalisation of such activity
The changing Chinese community in London: new migration, new needs
This two-year research project is funded by the Big Lottery Fund and carried out jointly by the Chinese in Britain Forum and Middlesex University. It examines recent Chinese migration to London and aims to provide information about the needs of the changing Chinese community.
London’s Chinese community is growing rapidly. New migrants from different regions and backgrounds are coming to Britain in search of work and new opportunities, to study or for asylum. The Chinese community is long established and has a highly visible presence in central London’s famous ‘Chinatown’. The community is also largely ‘invisible’. It has been relatively little studied and is generally not perceived as presenting ‘problems’ although research already undertaken suggests that social exclusion and isolation are widespread.
Chinese project leaflet (English - 54kb) : Chinese project leaflet (Chinese - 94kb)
Polish Migrants in London and European Enlargement: social networks, transience and settlement
This one-year research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) examines the experiences of recent Polish migrants to London. Poland's membership of the European Union in May 2004 opened up new opportunities for legal employment in Britain, and has brought a substantial increase in migration. Little is known about how EU enlargement is impacting on the plans of these new migrants, and whether new patterns of migration to Britain are developing which reflect neither the permanent settlement of past generations nor the extreme transience of the past decade. The project will investigate the implications of EU.
Polish Migrants in London and European Enlargement: social networks, transience and settlement
Inter-Generational Change and Minority Ethnic Women in the Labour Market: A Qualitative Pilot Study
Reena Bhavnani and Waqar Ahmad Funded by the Nuffield Foundation The objective of this pilot study is to understand inter-generational change among different black and minority ethnic women in their employment experience and job aspirations. We are particularly concentrating on the following groups of women: African Caribbean, West African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. We are hoping to separate groups into age ranges. There will be two discussion groups for each minority ethnic group. In one group we will gather women in their late teens to early 20s, and in the other, women who are over 40 years old. For further information click on the link below.
Inter-Generational Change and Minority Ethnic Women in the Labour Market: A Qualitative Pilot Study
The GendeRace project is researching the effectiveness of Racial Discrimination laws from the point of view of the target group and in a gender perspective. The research is taking place from 2008 to 2010 in six European Member states: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Sweden and the UK, and is funded by the European Union Seven Framework Programme. The objective of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of Racial Discrimination laws from the point of view of the target group and in a gender perspective. It is likely that differences exist between women and men in the experiences of discrimination. This is because they develop different representations of the legal system and experience different types of discrimination. Secondly, the project argues that the intersectional experience of discrimination based on “race” and gender is not recognized and treated properly in legal and institutional frameworks because experiences are analysed and treated through the idea of a mutually exclusive checklist of discrimination.
Polish Pupils in London Schools: Opportunities and challenges
Migration from Poland has both increased significantly and changed in character since Poland joined the EU in 2004. Although temporary migration continues, recent research suggests that a large proportion of Polish migrants plan to settle long term or permanently and to bring up families in Britain. The extent of this increase and of family migration took government and policy makers by surprise and little has been done to prepare for their needs. The sudden expansion in the number of Polish pupils in individual schools has been widely reported in the press, but there is little reliable information on the expectations, needs and achievements of this group or about how they are settling into British schools.
This short research project is based at Middlesex University and commissioned by Multiverse which provides resources to teacher educators and student teachers to promote the educational achievement of pupils from diverse backgrounds. The project explores the experience of Polish pupils in schools in London, focussing on a small number of schools which have a significant number of Polish pupils. The research will involve a range of methods including interviews with teachers and parents. A report will be available on the Multiverse website and summaries of the findings will be made available to participating schools. If you would be interested in participating in the study or would like further information, please contact one of the members of the research team. Link to Multiverse website
Gemma: Gender and Migration
GEMMA is a dissemination project that will contribute to strengthen the dialogue between the different stakeholders in the field of Gender and Migration. This initiative is funded by the European Commission under the socio-economic sciences and Humanities theme.
GEMMA contributors come from 5 organisations representing 5 European countries: Austria, France, Hungary, Italy and the United Kingdom. Our contribution: Valorisation and dissemination of EU-funded research projects in the field of Gender and Migration to policy-makers and Civil Society organisations in the 5 member states and languages of the GEMMA project; Opportunities of dialogue through targeted workshops aimed at strengthening communication and networking between Researchers, Policy-makers and Civil Society; Recommendations at the national level to enhance interaction and collaboration between the different actors in the field of Gender and Migration.
The Equality Implications of Being a Migrant in Britain
Though there has been much discussion about migration and obtaining accurate figures about migrants nationally and their impact in different localities, insufficient attention is paid to the diversity of migrants, their experiences and, above all, differences in their rights and the inequalities and discrimination they may experience. These issues are complex, but we usually lack the data to be able to capture inequalities and discrimination across the different equality strands and covering the diverse migrant populations.
Policy changes relating to immigration, settlement, integration and citizenship are being proposed, indeed at such a rate that we can barely keep up with them, but without an understanding of equalities issues or the application of equality impact assessments. The recommendations of the Equality Bill should be applied to all who live in the UK.
The report sets out to:
- assesses the equality and human rights implications of managed migration, in particular the Points-Based System, in relation to gender, age, ethnicity, disability and sexual orientation.
- determines the availability of statistical data on migrants to measure and evaluate inequalities and discrimination by age, disability, gender, race, religion and sexual orientation;
- outlines who are the new migrants by nationality, gender and their socio-economic characteristics;
- considers their economic impact overall and in particular sectors;
- reviews access to and use of services, such as housing, health and social care, education, legal services, harassment and financial exclusion, and whether migrants experience barriers or discrimination in service-delivery.
Link to Equality Human Rights website
Muslim Youth in Barnet - Exploring Identity, Citizenship and Belonging Locally and in the Wider Context
Researchers: Louise Ryan, Eleonore Kofman and Ludovica Banfi (with Mustafa Mansuri and Faiza Bashe)
This research was commissioned by the Barnet Muslim Engagement Partnership and was carried by the research team at Middlesex University between September 2008 and May 2009. This qualitative research follows on from an earlier quantitative study Engaging Muslim Youth in Barnet (Ryan et al, 2008).
Aim:
The study aimed to explore the ways in which young Muslims construct and negotiate their identities within British society and how these were expressed and experienced in local contexts as well as in broader national and international settings. We conducted three focus groups and 20 individual interviews. We were assisted in the study by two community researchers.
Methods and Description of Participants:
A total of 37 participants took part in the study. Twenty individual interviews were conducted by the community researchers. In addition, three focus groups were carried by members of the research team, assisted by the community researchers. A total of 17 young people took part in the focus groups. Participants were aged between 17 and 28 years, with the majority in their early-to-mid twenties.
Muslim Youths in Barnet executive summery
Ethics and Linguistic Chaplains: A Research Study
Researchers: Dr. Louise Ryan and Dr. Panos Hatziprokopiou
This project was commissioned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales and aimed to review the work of ethnic chaplaincies in providing pastoral care to migrants.
Data collection:
A questionnaire was posted (or e-mailed) to all ethnic and linguistic chaplains in England and Wales. A total of 42 chaplains completed and returned the questionnaires. An interview schedule was also drawn up and 10 in depth, face to face interviews were also carried out with a range of chaplains from different ethnic groups. This allowed for a more detailed discussion of the issues raised in the questionnaires. A short questionnaire was also sent to all Bishops in England and Wales. 12 Bishops completed and returned their questionnaires.
Research questions:
The research asked how the chaplaincies operate and how they are financed. There were several questions about the chaplains’ own experiences, for example, how they were appointed, what preparation and support they receive and how integrated they are in local parishes, deaneries and dioceses. We also asked about the kinds and numbers of celebrations they perform, what sacramental provision they provide, and how involved are the laity. In addition, there were several questions about the migrant communities they serve, such as how large the communities are, what languages they speak, how integrated they are, if, for example, they attend English-languages masses in their local parishes, and whether or not they send their children to Catholic schools. The questionnaires and interviews also enquired about how well the chaplains and their communities were served by the Church.
The final report was published in September 2009.
Mapping of Older People’s Services provided by the Catholic Community in England and Wales
Research team: Dr. Louise Ryan, Alessio D’Angelo, Adriana Castro, Mary Tilki.
Middlesex University has been commissioned by Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN) to undertake research into the services to older people provided by the Catholic Community in England and Wales. The main aim of this research is to quantify, assess and understand the scope and nature of services provided by the Catholic community to older people. The scope of the project would include formal residential care, residential care offered by religious orders to members of their own communities, and formal support services offered at parish and community level within dioceses. From this data the researchers will be able to build up a series of case studies from across the country providing positive examples of what parishes or organisations do. If this can be mapped, the quantity of care and support offered would ensure that the contribution of the Catholic community is recognised and valued nationally; and that their voice is heard in the debate on older people’s services. It would also enable the Church to learn from best examples of such care at local and Diocesan level in order to inform future strategy.
The final report was published in October 2009.
National Mapping of services to older people – caritas executive summary.
