Irregular migration to Europe through the sea, though risky, remains one of the most popular migration options for many Sub-Saharan Africans. Policymakers have scaled up their efforts to deter potential migrants from embarking on this dangerous route. But the impact of these efforts has mostly not been rigorously evaluated. These efforts must address the relevant factors in the decision-making process of potential migrants. Do the latter actually know how risky their intended voyage is? Do they have realistic expectations regarding their chances of being granted asylum after their arrival? If not, are their migration intentions and decisions affected by more accurate information? What other policies can be put in place to save lives in this process? Our project conducts a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of different policies to reduce irregular migration to Europe. We work with 8000 potential migrants from rural areas in the Gambia, the country in West Africa with the highest incidence of irregular migration to Europe.

For more details, see here.

Principal Investigators:

Tijan L Bah (Nova SBE and U Gambia)

Cátia Batista (Nova SBE)

Flore Gubert (IRD Paris)

David McKenzie (World Bank)

Project Coordinator:

Tijan L Bah (Nova SBE)

Funding:

Funded by theEuropean Union

Institutional support:

Ministry of Youth andSports – The Gambia

This content was originally published in Novafrica.org