Projects
Environmental Migration: “The New Normal” How to address the current legal impasse and protect environmentally-induced migrants KU Leuven
The nexus between environmental change and migration is not newly emerged; however, the academic debate around its exact relationship is rapidly growing. Undeniably, it is difficult to establish straightforward links between environmental degradation and human mobility. Therefore, in order to examine the state of art and understand this multifaceted phenomenon, this project will explore the persistent definitional quagmire. The lack of a ...
Safe with the Neighbours? Actual and legal protection of forced migrants under EU externalisation policies: legal, sociological and political perspectives from Morocco Ghent University
The EU increasingly ‘externalises’ its international responsibility over migrants in need of protection to third countries such as Morocco. This research examines whether and how forced migrants can find protection in Morocco, from a multidisciplinary perspective. It evaluates (1) extraterritorial responsibility under international law, (2) migrants’ aspirations and understandings of protection, and (3) Global South dynamics in Morocco’s ...
Challenging queer migration narratives. A case study of sexual orientation and gender identity rights in the Belgian asylum procedure. Ghent University
Forced migration continues to captivate social discourses, which often represent refugees as predominantly male, heterosexual, cisgender (and homophobic/transphobic) individuals. However, many people flee their home due to the persecution they fear on the ground of their sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Once arrived in Europe, in a country where SOGI rights are recognised as human rights and as such expanded the scope of refugee ...
Patent Governance, Patent Reforms & Institutional Change: A Comparative Analysis of Patent Reforms in Europe, the US and Japan. University of Antwerp
International judicial politics: EU and US responses to WTO litigation. University of Antwerp
You too? No way! Rape mythology applied to credibility assessments of applications based on sexual or gender-based violence (SGBV) in the European asylum procedure Ghent University
UNHCR’s concern that asylum authorities base credibility assessments on stereotypical and erroneous gender perceptions strongly resembles the ‘rape mytholgy’ phenomenon. This research will collect data from a literature analysis, asylum authorities (case law study and self-reporting KAP survey), and asylum seekers themselves (qualitative interviews), in order to analyse the occurrence of ‘SGBV mythology’ in the European asylum procedure....
Urban Academy: a collaboratorium for sustainability issues in Ghent Ghent University
The Urban Academy focuses on socio-ecological problems in the city of Ghent and at Ghent University. Academic staff, students, policy makers, civil society actors, etc. work in inter- and transdisciplinary research processes on problem definitions and possible solutions, (living lab) experiments and upscaling initiatives, (policy) reports and scientific articles. Our theoretical and analytical framework integrates socio-spatial, ...
One for all, all for one? A research into the steps towards violent Islamist extremism: what it takes to make costly sacrifices. Ghent University
This research examines the process towards Violent Islamist Extremism and explores what it takes
to make costly sacrifices. We start from an integrated theoretical framework combining the
Significance Quest Theory (SQT) and the Devoted Actor Theory (DAT). According to both theories,
‘the need for personal significance’ is the dominant motivational force underlying the process
towards Violent Islamist Extremism. This ...
Scaling up of police districts Ghent University
The purpose of this research is to portray the (non) existing forms of cooperation between police zones and testing the willingness of the officers of the police, the mayors and the captains, to participate in a process of more advanced cooperation or of scale enlargement.