Chinedu Obi

The literature on migrants’ integration and wellbeing is ample, but the case of economic-asylum seekers in a protracted asylum application system is yet to receive sufficient attention. The economic-asylum seekers are a unique group who migrate with an economic motive but apply for asylum to achieve economic integration in the host country. We use the aspiration-capability framework and a mixed-method approach: participant observation, focus group discussion, and field survey, to study a group of economic-asylum seekers from Nigeria when they were waiting for their asylum decisions in Italy. We find that they evaluate their wellbeing by reflecting on their premigration aspirations, integration constraints, and capabilities. They report lower life satisfaction compared to their satisfaction in Nigeria, and were affected by several barriers including structural, psychological, economic, and social constraints. Our study generally describes what it is like to live in limbo and frustration, with a limited assurance for a better tomorrow. It gives voice to the economic-asylum seekers and contributes to the integration literature by examining their perceptions of integration constraints.

This dissertation critically reviews neoclassical migration theories and conceptualises the capability-based framework as a prospect in migration theory. I show that most of the neoclassical migration theories were formed in the twentieth century. They therefore require an update to accommodate contemporary migration dynamics. I argue that a multifaceted and multidimensional capability-based approach that centralises human agency and capabilities can address the earlier theories’ shortcomings. Hence, I adopt the capability-based migration framework as the main framework in my dissertation. The dissertation differs from previous empirical studies in its unique methodology and exceptional attention to the grey areas in the migration discourse. Using data from prospective Nigerian migrants living in Nigeria, actual migrants living in Italy and a collection of secondary data sources, the dissertation addresses three research questions: how do capabilities influence migration decisions in the home country; what are the capability-depriving constraints faced by migrants in the host country; and how do migrants contribute to capability improvement in the home country?

International migration is undergoing unprecedented changes. The traditionaldeterminants of migration such as poverty, food insecurity and climate change are givingway to new motivations. These new issues, that include but are not limited to ambitionsto live a foreign lifestyle, incomplete and asymmetric information are capable ofunderestimating the risk in irregular migration. As the information about foreign lifestyleflow freely and new opportunities open, it becomes very difficult to manage irregularmigration through border control. Within the transitional mode of internationalmigration, the use of awareness campaigns, especially in rural areas of home countriesthat target the most vulnerable groups, – school-age youths, could become a veritablemeans of deterring irregular migration.In 2018, Ricosmigration – Rural Information Campaign on Safe Migration - receivedfunding from the German Foreign Office to investigate why young people from Nigeriamigrate irregularly and implement a safe migration awareness campaign for youth inrural secondary schools. This report is from the result of the project which cut acrossinterviews of Nigerian migrants living in Italy, potential migrants in Nigeria, and the resultof the awareness campaigns conducted in 10 secondary schools in Edo, Nigeria. In thereport, we explain the profile of a potential migrant from Nigeria. We also explore howreduced capabilities to lead the desired life and how the increasing use of social mediainternet has greatly raised the likelihood of migration in Nigeria. We equally show in thedetail how we implemented a randomized experiment to test the efficiency of themigration awareness campaign.The project provides a new dimension to the discourse of the root cause of migration byintroducing the role of limited opportunities and freedom (capabilities), low lifesatisfaction, and incomplete information through social media. Additionally, it shows thepower of light interventions such as awareness campaigns in reducing irregularmigration. In particular, the result showed that about 77.2 per cent of Nigerian youthsthat responded to the interview have the intention to migrate abroad, and 37.2 per centwould migrate if they win a cash lottery that is enough to cover the migration cost. Ourrandomized experiment showed that migration awareness campaign could reduce therisk of being a victim of human trafficking by more than 50 per cent. It could also reducethe desire to engage in irregular migration by more than 30 per cent and increased thedecision to take necessary steps to avoid human traffickers and follow proper proceduresfor safe migration by more than 50 per cent.The awareness campaign had a wide coverage reaching about 7000 students in ruralcommunities in Edo State, Nigeria. The success factors of our awareness campaign includethe utilization of appropriate channels, delivery of an accurate message that was tailoredto the group we spoke to, and the use of respected external facilitators.

We explore the farmers’ perception of how different external drivers of changes in farming activities could lead to sustainability practices among wine producers. The general assumption is that regulatory and market forces can change the production strategies of wine producers, which could eventually lead to the adoption of sustainability practices. We presented the percentage sustainability practice (PSP) as a novel way of measuring sustainability. We developed a structural equation model (SEM) with 13 hypotheses to test our assumption for the wine supply chain in Tuscany (Italy). Among the market forces, we found that wine growers perceived access to credit to have a significant positive association with sustainability practices. We also found that the perception of change in regulatory instruments such as environmental regulation and Common Agriculture Policy can lead to sustainable practice if they improve access to credit. Our research provides evidence for medium-large scale wine producers, emphasising their role as carriers of innovation in the movement towards sustainable wine production.