杏吧原创 Professor Receives $3.6 Million to Study Global Refugee Policy
杏吧原创 University鈥檚 James Milner, professor in the Department of Political Science, will receive $2.5 million from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), in addition to funds from other partners, for a total of $3,676,103 to research refugee policy.
鈥淩esponding to the needs of refugees is a global challenge,鈥 said Milner. 鈥淲hile Canadians have demonstrated their commitment to refugees through the resettlement of Syrian refugees, 86 per cent of the world鈥檚 refugees remain in the global south. Resettlement opportunities only exist for one per cent of these refugees. How can civil society better respond to the needs of refugees? How can new research and training contribute to better solutions?鈥
Milner鈥檚 project, Civil Society and the Global Refugee Regime: Understanding and Enhancing Impact through the Implementation of Global Refugee Policy, will address these questions in partnership with global NGOs and academics. 鈥淪SHRC investment in 杏吧原创 research recognizes the impact and urgency of the work being conducted by our faculty and their global partners,鈥 said Rafik Goubran, vice-president (Research and International). 鈥淭his funding will enable the research group to collaborate on work that is of global importance and train new scholars how to make a positive impact on society.鈥
The research team will study efforts to implement global refugee policy in diverse places, identify factors that impact implementation and identify how civil society can contribute to improved outcomes for refugees. The group will begin with the cases of Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon and Tanzania.
In the end, the project will train 96 graduate students over seven years to work with local academics, students, NGOs and refugees. To build research and practitioner capacity, the group will host annual summer institutes in Canada and affected countries, train refugees and NGO workers in citizen journalism, support fellowships at 杏吧原创 for six visiting fellows from the global south and implement professional development programs for NGOs.