Political sociologist Dr. Laura Cleton and sociologist Dr. Kasper Otten of the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences have both been awarded a €320,000 Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The Veni grant is intended to fund innovative scientific research and thereby give these researchers the opportunity to develop as independent researchers.
How do children’s rights matter for return policy?
Dr. Laura Cleton (Team Policy, Politics and Society)
Recently-adopted EU migration policy epitomises the tension for liberal states between safeguarding human rights and political pressure to curb undocumented migration. This tension is most pronounced in the return of children: while children's rights should constrain government power, advocacy groups warn that rights are increasingly undermined. This project examines how frontline workers negotiate rights while implementing return policies between Belgium, the Netherlands and Nigeria. Their engagement with rights has important consequences for children and the legitimacy of migration governance. It innovates theory-building in political science and migration studies and offers advocacy pathways.
The location lottery: how refugees’ randomly assigned housing location shapes their lives
Dr. Kasper Otten (Team Policy, Politics and Society & WODC)
Because of the dispersal policy, refugees are spread throughout the Netherlands and cannot choose where they are housed. It is often thought that the assigned housing region has a major impact on their chances of building a new life, but scientific evidence is still largely lacking. This project will identify the causal influence of refugees’ housing location on various dimensions of their lives, including work, social contacts, and mental health. With this knowledge, the process of assigning refugees to housing locations can be improved so that refugees can build better lives in the Netherlands and participate in society.
About the Veni grant
The Veni-grant, together with the Vidi and Vici grants, is part of the NWO-Talent Programme. The NWO Talent Programme gives researchers the freedom to conduct their own research based on creativity and passion. NWO selects researchers based on the scientific quality and innovative nature of the research proposal, the scientific and/or societal impact of the proposed project and the quality of the researcher.
The programme encourages innovation and curiosity. Free research contributes to and prepares us for tomorrow's society. This is why NWO focuses on a diversity of scientists, domains and backgrounds.
- More information
Marjolein Kooistra, kooistra@essb.eur.nl
