Ilse Ruyssen
Biographic Data
| ID | 1256801 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Ilse Ruyssen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Ilse |
| FAMILY NAME | Ruyssen |
| SIGNATURE | RUYSSEN I |
| AFFILIATIONS | United Nations University Institute on Comparative Regional Integration Studies |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8259-4492 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 20 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 93 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 19 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Does irrigation reduce migration intentions after drought? Evidence from West Africa
Involuntary immobility and well-being
BACKGROUND: Human migration has gained prominence in recent decades, paralleled by a surge in research attention predominantly centered on mobility, overshadowing the more prevalent phenomenon of immobility. However, a substantial proportion of individuals aspire to migrate, yet find themselves bound by various constraints, far outnumbering those who realize their migration aspirations. The disparity between individuals’ migration aspirations and…
The Aspiration to Stay
There is growing interest from both policy and academic communities in understanding why people do not migrate. This article offers the first global analysis of the aspiration to stay, defined here as the preference to stay in one's country of residence. We make use of the unique Gallup World Polls which provide information on aspirations to stay (as opposed to migrating abroad) as well as on individual characteristics and opinions for 130 countr…
Leaving terrorism behind? The role of terrorist attacks in shaping migration intentions around the world
Terrorism globally yields severe consequences for individuals and societies, potentially driving migration within and across borders. Yet, empirical evidence on its causal impact remains limited. The contribution of our paper is twofold. First, we construct various indicators of terrorist activity at a fine level of spatial and temporal granularity, which allow to accurately identify individuals’ exposure to terrorist threat. Second, we use these…
Selecting only the best and brightest? An assessment of migration policy selectivity and its effectiveness
This paper introduces a new set of comprehensive and cross-country-comparable indexes of migration policy selectivity. Crucially, these reflect the multidimensional nature of the differential treatment of migrants. We use these indexes to study the evolution of migration policy selectivity and estimate how they affect migration flows. Combining all publicly available and relevant data since WWII, we build three composite indexes that identify sel…
Well-being amid (im)mobility struggles
Involuntary spatial immobility exacerbates the dominant experience of social immobility, magnifying its effect on youth's well-being, revealing a previously unacknowledged phenomenon. Our findings further emphasize the pressing need for a more cohesive alignment between migration policies and information campaigns on one hand and the real experiences and challenges encountered by their intended audience on the other
Policy Recommendations for Enhancing Capabilities of Senegalese Youth Navigating Immobility ChallengesRecommandations Politiques pour Renforcer les Capacités des Jeunes Sénégalais face aux Défis de l’…
This report provides policy recommendations for addressing the socio-economic and mental health challenges of different forms of involuntary immobility faced by Senegalese youth, based on qualitative data from the “Migration Aspiration, Immobility and Wellbeing” workshop held at Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor. The event gathered feedback from young people, practitioners and academics on the complex factors that contribute to the immobility …
Gaps and opportunities in the climate change, migration and health nexus
Working with complexity can be supported by using the framework and findings to support researchers grappling with these intersecting themes
Assessment of Water-Migration-Gender Interconnections in Ethiopia
In recent years, water stress has affected Ethiopian people and communities through shrinking water availability/quantity, poor quality and/or inadequate service provision. Water stress is further exacerbated by the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods. For people exposed to water crises–whether slow-onset water stress or extreme water-related scenarios-migration often emerges as an adaptation strategy. Yet, knowledge on the inter…
Domestic and international migration intentions in response to environmental stress
In light of increasing environmental stress and its likely implications for migration patterns, we conduct a cross-country individual-level analysis of the impact of self-reported exposure to environmental stress on people's migration intentions and their destination choice. We simultaneously model intentions to migrate domestically and internationally for 90 countries worldwide in 2010. We find that self-reported exposure to environmental stress…
Family Physician Perceptions of Climate Change, Migration, Health, and Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa
Although family physicians (FPs) are community-oriented primary care generalists and should be the entry point for the population's interaction with the health system, they are underrepresented in research on the climate change, migration, and health(care) nexus (hereafter referred to as the nexus). Similarly, FPs can provide valuable insights into building capacity through integrating health-determining sectors for climate-resilient and migratio…
Weather shocks and migration intentions in Western Africa
We use a multilevel approach to investigate whether a general and robust relationship between weather shocks and (internal and international) migration intentions can be uncovered in Western African countries. We combine individual survey data with measures of localized weather shocks for 13 countries over the 2008–2016 period. A meta-analysis on results from about 51,000 regressions is conducted to identify the specification of weather anomalies…
Regional Integration and Migration Governance in the Global South
Weather Shocks and Migration Intentions in Western Africa
International Migration
Whereas the impact of trade relations on conflict has been studied extensively, this is not the case for the impact of international migration. The latter might influence the size of expected costs and benefits, and hence the likelihood of military conflict between countries. In this paper, we discuss the channels through which bilateral migration can affect the prevalence of interstate military conflict. We then estimate migration’s impact on co…
Networks and migrants’ intended destination
Social networks are known to influence migration decisions, but connections between individuals can hardly be observed. We rely on individual-level surveys conducted by Gallup in 147 countries that provide information on migration intentions and on the existence of distance-one connections for all respondents in each of the potential countries of intended destination. The origin-specific distribution of distance-one connections from Gallup closel…
Measuring and Explaining Cross-Country Immigration Policies
Female migration
Determinants of Intraregional Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa 1980-2000
Despite great accomplishments in the migration literature, the determinants of South-South migration remain poorly understood. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper formulates and tests an empirical model for intraregional migration in sub-Saharan Africa within an extended human capital framework, taking into account spatial interaction. Using bilateral panel data between 1980 and 2000, we find that intraregional migration on the subcontinen…
The Cross-country Determinants of Potential and Actual Migration
In this study, we use cross-country bilateral data to quantify a two-step process of international migration and its aggregate determinants. We first analyze which country-specific factors affect the probability that individuals join the pool of potential (aspiring) migrants. Then, we consider the bilateral and destination country factors that affect the frequency at which potential migrants turn into actual migrants. Using information on potenti…
The Cross-country Determinants of Potential and Actual Migration
In this study, we use cross-country bilateral data to quantify a two-step process of international migration and its aggregate determinants. We first analyze which country-specific factors affect the probability that individuals join the pool of potential (aspiring) migrants. Then, we consider the bilateral and destination country factors that affect the frequency at which potential migrants turn into actual migrants. Using information on potenti…
Female migration
Weather shocks and migration intentions in Western Africa
We use a multilevel approach to investigate whether a general and robust relationship between weather shocks and (internal and international) migration intentions can be uncovered in Western African countries. We combine individual survey data with measures of localized weather shocks for 13 countries over the 2008–2016 period. A meta-analysis on results from about 51,000 regressions is conducted to identify the specification of weather anomalies…
Measuring and Explaining Cross-Country Immigration Policies
The Aspiration to Stay
There is growing interest from both policy and academic communities in understanding why people do not migrate. This article offers the first global analysis of the aspiration to stay, defined here as the preference to stay in one's country of residence. We make use of the unique Gallup World Polls which provide information on aspirations to stay (as opposed to migrating abroad) as well as on individual characteristics and opinions for 130 countr…
Networks and migrants’ intended destination
Social networks are known to influence migration decisions, but connections between individuals can hardly be observed. We rely on individual-level surveys conducted by Gallup in 147 countries that provide information on migration intentions and on the existence of distance-one connections for all respondents in each of the potential countries of intended destination. The origin-specific distribution of distance-one connections from Gallup closel…
Determinants of Intraregional Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa 1980-2000
Despite great accomplishments in the migration literature, the determinants of South-South migration remain poorly understood. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper formulates and tests an empirical model for intraregional migration in sub-Saharan Africa within an extended human capital framework, taking into account spatial interaction. Using bilateral panel data between 1980 and 2000, we find that intraregional migration on the subcontinen…
The Cross-country Determinants of Potential and Actual Migration
In this study, we use cross-country bilateral data to quantify a two-step process of international migration and its aggregate determinants. We first analyze which country-specific factors affect the probability that individuals join the pool of potential (aspiring) migrants. Then, we consider the bilateral and destination country factors that affect the frequency at which potential migrants turn into actual migrants. Using information on potenti…
Measuring and Explaining Cross-Country Immigration Policies
Female migration
International Migration
Whereas the impact of trade relations on conflict has been studied extensively, this is not the case for the impact of international migration. The latter might influence the size of expected costs and benefits, and hence the likelihood of military conflict between countries. In this paper, we discuss the channels through which bilateral migration can affect the prevalence of interstate military conflict. We then estimate migration’s impact on co…
Networks and migrants’ intended destination
Social networks are known to influence migration decisions, but connections between individuals can hardly be observed. We rely on individual-level surveys conducted by Gallup in 147 countries that provide information on migration intentions and on the existence of distance-one connections for all respondents in each of the potential countries of intended destination. The origin-specific distribution of distance-one connections from Gallup closel…
Regional Integration and Migration Governance in the Global South
Weather Shocks and Migration Intentions in Western Africa
Domestic and international migration intentions in response to environmental stress
In light of increasing environmental stress and its likely implications for migration patterns, we conduct a cross-country individual-level analysis of the impact of self-reported exposure to environmental stress on people's migration intentions and their destination choice. We simultaneously model intentions to migrate domestically and internationally for 90 countries worldwide in 2010. We find that self-reported exposure to environmental stress…
Family Physician Perceptions of Climate Change, Migration, Health, and Healthcare in Sub-Saharan Africa
Although family physicians (FPs) are community-oriented primary care generalists and should be the entry point for the population's interaction with the health system, they are underrepresented in research on the climate change, migration, and health(care) nexus (hereafter referred to as the nexus). Similarly, FPs can provide valuable insights into building capacity through integrating health-determining sectors for climate-resilient and migratio…
Weather shocks and migration intentions in Western Africa
We use a multilevel approach to investigate whether a general and robust relationship between weather shocks and (internal and international) migration intentions can be uncovered in Western African countries. We combine individual survey data with measures of localized weather shocks for 13 countries over the 2008–2016 period. A meta-analysis on results from about 51,000 regressions is conducted to identify the specification of weather anomalies…
Assessment of Water-Migration-Gender Interconnections in Ethiopia
In recent years, water stress has affected Ethiopian people and communities through shrinking water availability/quantity, poor quality and/or inadequate service provision. Water stress is further exacerbated by the impact of extreme events such as droughts and floods. For people exposed to water crises–whether slow-onset water stress or extreme water-related scenarios-migration often emerges as an adaptation strategy. Yet, knowledge on the inter…
Gaps and opportunities in the climate change, migration and health nexus
Working with complexity can be supported by using the framework and findings to support researchers grappling with these intersecting themes
Selecting only the best and brightest? An assessment of migration policy selectivity and its effectiveness
This paper introduces a new set of comprehensive and cross-country-comparable indexes of migration policy selectivity. Crucially, these reflect the multidimensional nature of the differential treatment of migrants. We use these indexes to study the evolution of migration policy selectivity and estimate how they affect migration flows. Combining all publicly available and relevant data since WWII, we build three composite indexes that identify sel…
Well-being amid (im)mobility struggles
Involuntary spatial immobility exacerbates the dominant experience of social immobility, magnifying its effect on youth's well-being, revealing a previously unacknowledged phenomenon. Our findings further emphasize the pressing need for a more cohesive alignment between migration policies and information campaigns on one hand and the real experiences and challenges encountered by their intended audience on the other
Policy Recommendations for Enhancing Capabilities of Senegalese Youth Navigating Immobility ChallengesRecommandations Politiques pour Renforcer les Capacités des Jeunes Sénégalais face aux Défis de l’…
This report provides policy recommendations for addressing the socio-economic and mental health challenges of different forms of involuntary immobility faced by Senegalese youth, based on qualitative data from the “Migration Aspiration, Immobility and Wellbeing” workshop held at Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor. The event gathered feedback from young people, practitioners and academics on the complex factors that contribute to the immobility …
Involuntary immobility and well-being
BACKGROUND: Human migration has gained prominence in recent decades, paralleled by a surge in research attention predominantly centered on mobility, overshadowing the more prevalent phenomenon of immobility. However, a substantial proportion of individuals aspire to migrate, yet find themselves bound by various constraints, far outnumbering those who realize their migration aspirations. The disparity between individuals’ migration aspirations and…
The Aspiration to Stay
There is growing interest from both policy and academic communities in understanding why people do not migrate. This article offers the first global analysis of the aspiration to stay, defined here as the preference to stay in one's country of residence. We make use of the unique Gallup World Polls which provide information on aspirations to stay (as opposed to migrating abroad) as well as on individual characteristics and opinions for 130 countr…
Leaving terrorism behind? The role of terrorist attacks in shaping migration intentions around the world
Terrorism globally yields severe consequences for individuals and societies, potentially driving migration within and across borders. Yet, empirical evidence on its causal impact remains limited. The contribution of our paper is twofold. First, we construct various indicators of terrorist activity at a fine level of spatial and temporal granularity, which allow to accurately identify individuals’ exposure to terrorist threat. Second, we use these…
Does irrigation reduce migration intentions after drought? Evidence from West Africa
Economics (12 works) · Migration and Labor Dynamics (12 works) · Political science (12 works) · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration (9 works) · Geography (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Demographic economics (8 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Medicine (6 works) · Population (5 works)