Katie Kuschminder (PhD) is currently a Rubicon Research Fellow funded by the Dutch Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) at the Global Governance Programme, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute in Florence, Italy. Katie is also an affiliated researcher at Maastricht Graduate School of Governance/ UNU-Merit. She has been working in research for the past ten years and has worked on or managed migration projects for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection Irregular Migration Research Group, German Development Cooperation, IOM, and UNHCR. She has taught in the MSc in Public Policy and Human Development, Migration Management Diploma Programme, Evidence Based Policy Research Methods course at MGSoG/ UNU- Merit and has developed the first migration studies course at the University College Maastricht. She has conducted fieldwork in multiple countries including: Afghanistan, Burundi, Ethiopia, Greece, Indonesia, Turkey, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
Katie’s research focuses on the following key themes:
Return Migration and Reintegration– This includes return decision making factors, assisted voluntary return, repatriation after conflict, diaspora return and knowledge transfer and defining and measuring reintegration. Katie has developed the reintegration strategies approach (Forthcoming Book with Palgrave) to understand how migrants reintegrate upon return and separate to this a return and reintegration index to measure levels of reintegration and sustainable return.
Irregular and Transit Migration– Katie’s work examines the drivers, flows, processes, experiences and decision making factors involved in irregular migration including rejected asylum seekers and former unaccompanied minors. Her work also explores the dynamics of smuggling processes and migrants experiences of human smuggling. At present Katie is working on understanding how migrants make decisions in transit regarding onwards migration, stay, or return. See the Understanding Irregular Migrant Decision Making Processes in Transit for further information.
Migration and Development– Through her work Katie examines the relationship between migration and development. This includes how diaspora returnees contribute to knowledge transfer and capacity building for development in their countries of origin, and an examination of diaspora engagement policies. During her PhD Katie worked with Ethiopian domestic workers that had returned from the Middle East.
Email: Katie.kuschminder@eui.eu; Katie.kuschminder@maastrichtuniversity.nl