Conference date

12-13 March 2020

Call for papers

Immigration remains one of the most contentious issues in Europe even after the great European refugee crisis has settled. Some observers see immigration as a fundamental challenge to the economic sustainability of the welfare states and the social cohesion of welfare societies. Other observers see immigration as an opportunity to increase labour supply and diversity in an ageing and shrinking European labour market.

We do not intend to settle these issues, but open up a truly interdisciplinary debate on the causes and consequences of immigration for north-European welfare states. The conference is organized by the interdisciplinary FLOW research group, which includes researcher from social sciences, natural science and the humanities. The FLOW project examines immigration and the welfare state in Northern-Europe (Denmark, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands). We invite scholars from all academic disciplines to join the conference and contribute with papers on the following (nonexclusive) topics:

• The causes of migration
• The drivers of migration waves
• Climate change and migration
• Estimations of future migration waves to Northern-Europe
• The impact of migration on Northern-European welfare states
• Labour market integration of immigrants and refugees
• Migration and the education system
• Political, social and economic implication of migration in northern-European societies

The maximum number of participants is 65 persons. Abstract are selected by the steering committee on their scientific quality and the extent to which they contribute to the topics of the conference (maximum 400 words). The best papers will be selected for a special issue of an international journal. Upload your abstract and paper at Easychair. It is possible to participate in the conference without paper. 

Deadlines

Deadline for abstracts	1 November 2019
Decision on accepted abstracts	1 December 2019
Registration opens	1 December 2019
Deadline for paper submission	24 February 2020
Conference	12-13 March 2020

Keynotes

Raya Muttarak, DPhil, Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, VID/ÖAW and WU), Vienna Institute of Demography, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Andrea Spehar, senior lecturer, Department of Political Science, Göteborg University and director of Centre on global Migration

Joakim Palme, Professor, Department of Government, Uppsala University

About FLOW

Aalborg University has selected migration as a strategic research area.
The university funds the project “Global flows of migrations and their impact on North European welfare states (FLOW)”, 2018 – 2020, with 1.2 million euros.

The FLOW research team is an interdisciplinary group of political scientists, sociologists, geographers, historians and education scientists, coordinated by Professor Christian Albrekt Larsen. The FLOW project analyses migrant flows into Northern Europe, with a special emphasis on climate changes, patterns of socioeconomic and sociocultural integration and best practice within education and labour market policy.

FLOW steering committee

• Professor Christian Albrekt Larsen (albrekt@dps.aau.dk)
• Professor Mette Buchardt (buchardt@ikl.aau.dk)
• Professor Thomas Bredgaard (thomas@dps.aau.dk)
• Professor Henning Hansen (hsh@plan.aau.dk)
• Associate Professor Carsten Kessler (carsten@plan.aau.dk)
• Associate Professor Trine Lund Thomsen (tlt@ikl.aau.dk)
• Professor Martin Bak Jørgensen (martinjo@ikl.aau.dk)

Preliminary programme

Thursday 12 March 2020

12:00-13.00	Registration and sandwich
13.00-13.15	Welcome
13.15-14.00	Keynote 1
14.00-15.30	Workshops
15.30-16.00	Coffee and cake
16.00-17.30	Workshops
19.00-	Conference dinner

Friday 13 March 2020

9.00-9.45	Keynote 2
9.45-10.00	Coffee
10.00-12.00	Workshops
12.00-13.00	Lunch
13.00-14.00	Workshops
14.00-14.15	Coffee and cake
14.15-15.00	Joakim Palme (professor Uppsala University)
15.00-	Closing of conference