On behalf of Dr Andrew Burridge (Macquarie) and myself, we would like to share a fully funded opportunity we now have for a Global PhD studentship. The successful candidate will share their time between St Andrews in Scotland and Macquarie in Australia. Please do share with your networks, consider applying if of interest and at the appropriate career stage, and of course feel free to direct any questions to myself and/or Andrew. Project info and links below, deadline for expressions of interest is Dec 9. Thank you!
Migrant and Refugee Welcome: Achieving Social Sustainability through Local Migration Governance
Australia and the UK are both among the top 10 recipient countries of people on the move (migrants and refugees) globally, while migration control is also high in their respective national policy agendas. Local and city-level governing bodies in the two countries are often at the coalface of migrant and asylum seeker/refugee engagement, yet have little sway in national- level decision making and migration programs.
This project asks how the two countries can move toward more socially sustainable migration policies that are led by their respective local governments, building on existing sanctuary and ‘welcome’ programs, and working alongside community, NGO and third-sector organisations. The project will directly contribute to our understanding of social sustainability through migration: while an inevitable – and desirable – feature of all developed societies, migration is often misconceived in public discourse and policy. The anti-immigration riots that shook parts of the UK in mid-2024 are an acute reminder of the dangers lurking in such misconceptions. As the Scanlon Foundation Research Institute’s annual Australian Cohesion Index (2023) has found, key to social cohesion and sustainable communities, is a sense of belonging for migrants within their communities. The role of local-scale migration governance, through forms of welcome and sanctuary, is therefore crucial.
Methodologically, our project will comparatively examine the role of local- level initiatives in creating socially sustainable forms of settlement, sanctuary and/or ‘welcome’ across Australia and the UK. Specifically, the successful doctoral candidate will conduct:
(a) a literature review of relevant academic approaches to cross-scale (national/ local/ urban) approaches to migrant integration;
(b) comparative analysis of national policies of migrant and asylum/refugee welcoming programs in the two countries; and
(c) field-based, ethnographic investigation of selected programs in both Australia and the UK.
The project innovates at the level of scale, and in its internationally comparative approach. Specifically, the project builds on the burgeoning literature on local government level initiatives of migrant reception in the two countries (including Australia’s Refugee Welcome Zones and Welcoming Cities initiative, and the UK’s City of Sanctuary).
While there is extensive academic work examining sanctuary city programs, notably in North America, there is little by way of an understanding of how these localised initiatives may contribute more broadly to social sustainability either at a local, or an international level. Our proposed internationally comparative perspective will provide novel and valuable insights for local authorities and communities, both in Australia and the UK, as well as internationally, examining best practice policy, and contributing to the social sustainability for local communities regarding migration and refugee settlement, reception and integration.
The project’s research focus promises significant societal impact and thereby, added value: it is fully expected that the research process and findings alike will directly engage local governments and key local stakeholders, informing best practice in migrant and refugee settlement and social sustainability. The successful student will be guided to develop a Migration and Social Sustainability Information and Policy Network featuring academics and key stakeholders in the two countries, thereby strengthening its potential societal impact and ensuring its legacy, while helping establish the candidate as a future leader in their domain.
The project will be managed jointly between the School of Geography and Sustainable Development at St Andrews and the School of Social Sciences at Macquarie. The student will be supervised by Dr Antonis Vradis (St Andrews) and by Dr Andrew Burridge (Macquarie).
Informal enquiries regarding this scholarship may be addressed to Dr Antonis Vradis (antonis.vradis@st-andrews.ac.uk) or Dr Andrew Burridge (andrew.burridge@mq.edu.au).
With all best wishes,
Antonis
