Research Projects
Emigration
Contact Email: info@ippr.org
Introduction
In recent years, the migration debate in the UK has firmly centred on the immigration of foreign nationals into the UK. Relatively little attention has been paid to the other side of the migration coin – namely emigration. ippr’s study, Brits abroad, addresses this imbalance by mapping the scale and nature of British nationals emigrating. But our study tells only half of the emigration story: non-British nationals account for nearly half of all those who leave the UK and, just as their inflows have been rising, so too have their outflows.
Very little is known about the circular movement of this group of migrants, despite the fact that the commonly-held assumption that immigrants come to the UK for good may no longer hold. This gap in our knowledge is best demonstrated by the lack of information on how long the newly-arrived migrant workers from the new EU member states will end up staying in the UK, a subject of much public contention but little substantial research. Our research in this area attempts to fill this knowledge gap.
Current Research
Home Sweet Home? The nature and scale of British remigration to the UK
Building on our successful work with Brits abroad, ippr commenced a project on the nature and scale of remigration from the UK. This project will create a better understanding of the circular nature of foreign born emigration from the UK. A better grasp of the numbers of migrants leaving and their experiences of living in the UK will help policymakers design effective migration and policy strategies. This will hopefully create a better understanding of the effect that migration has on the individual and their country of origin when they return.
Further Information
Brits abroad
With several million UK nationals living overseas, we wanted to explore the size, nature and experiences of the British diaspora. The aim of the project was to help the UK Government, businesses and civil society organisations harness the economic and cultural potential of the diaspora. At the same time, the project sought to question some of the commonly-held assumptions about migration flows. Brits abroad was supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
The final report was published in December 2006. Please visit our sister BBC website for further information on our findings.
Publications
Shall We Stay or Shall We Go?
Re-migration trends among Britain’s immigrants
This report looks in detail at the available datasets so that we can see the numbers re-migrating and get a clearer picture of who is going and why. We have also gathered new evidence through open surveys and through research in six case study countries, which involved extensive interviewing of people who have re-migrated from the UK.
Floodgates or turnstiles?
Post-EU enlargement migration flows to (and from) the UK
The report is based on new analysis of a range of existing sources of data on migration flows. It also draws on the results of a specially commissioned survey, believed to be the first of its kind, of Poles who have recently returned from the UK to their home country. The report also draws on qualitative interviews with Polish migrants living in the UK.
Brits Abroad:
Mapping the scale and nature of British emigration
The report shows that, in an increasingly mobile world, the UK is truly at the crossroads of the global movement of people. These large scale movements in and out present some important opportunities for the UK as well as challenges for policymakers.
Capable Communities
Public Service Reform: The next chapter
In this paper we turn our attention to the role citizens and communities can play in directly producing services, setting out the challenges that lie ahead, and identifying the questions our research will seek to answer over the coming months.
The English Question
ippr surveys MPs
ippr has conducted a survey of MPs to find out if they think that England is losing out as a result of these changes, as many people have claimed.
You Can’t Put Me In A Box
Super-diversity and the end of identity politics in Britain
This paper attempts to map out just how diverse Britain is, both in terms of who lives in Britain and how they identify themselves.