Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development
The Maastricht Centre for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE) is a collaborative organisation of interdisciplinary experts on cross-border mobility, citizenship, transnationalism, migration and development. The research focuses on how cross-border mobility offers opportunities and poses challenges for individuals and their families, as well as for economies and societies at large, in both the origin and destination countries. Researchers investigate the opportunities and challenges associated with migration from four analytically distinct but related thematic perspectives. MACIMIDE is a joint effort of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities & Sciences, Faculty of Law and School of Business and Economics.
Fast facts
- focus on cross-border mobility and its consequences
- over 100 researchers working on four interrelated research themes
- teaching courses on the law, politics and economics of migration
- led by Profs. Maarten Vink, René de Groot and Melissa Siegel
Research
There are four research lines:
- Migration & Development - the dynamics and relationship between the receiving countries (immigration) and the sending countries (emigration)
- Transnational Families – the legal, cultural, social and economic issues that families and their members face in the context of international migration
- Cross-Border Mobility – the European perspective of migration and asylum, specifically for people who live and work in border regions and the gap between applicable legal rules and the reality
- Citizenship & Immigrant Integration – the two-way process in which newcomers and host societies work together to build a cohesive community
MACIMIDE researchers are also participating in the Institute for Transnational & Euregional Cross Border Cooperation and Mobility (ITEM) that conducts migration research as well.
Education
MACIMIDE provides training to bachelor's and master's students in several programmes, such as the master's in Globalisation and Development, Public Policy and Human Development (with specialization in Migration Studies), and European Law. PhD programmes and courses for professionals are offered by the four faculties involved.
Upcoming MACIMIDE events: https://macimide.maastrichtuniversity.nl/agenda/
News regarding MACIMIDE: https://macimide.maastrichtuniversity.nl/posts/
Hildegard Schneider
“People who live or work across borders still encounter lots of legal problems related to tax law, pension law and social security law, to name but a few. Given that we’ve been working towards the free movement of people for more than 60 years, this is a tragedy.”
Valentina Mazzucato
“The increasingly restrictive laws framing migration and family reunification in EU countries result in fragmented families where some members migrate and others remain in the country of origin. Families who still operate as a family unit in these circumstances are called ‘transnational families.’”
Maarten Vink
“A common asylum system, involving strict control of the EU’s external borders, serves as a compensation for the removal of the internal borders for goods, services and people. The idea of free movement hinges on member states relaxing their internal borders. Without strict control of the EU’s external borders, they would be less likely to do this. This is why the EU is so concerned with asylum.”
Melissa Siegel
"A better understanding of the linkages between migration and development, as well as the most effective ways to facilitate the contribution of migrants, is extremely important in the context of the Post-2015 development agenda and especially the Sustainable Development Goals."
