On 17 March 2025, researchers from the International Institute of Social Studies working on migration-related topics participated in this annual event organized by the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration.
With three out of the conference’s 16 panels co-organized by ISS faculty, the Institute’s migration-related research was well-represented during the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration’s State of the Art 2025 conference on 'Research Meets Policy: Sustaining the Dialogue on Migration'.
Migrant work and the future of food in the Netherlands
Karin Astrid Siegmann organized a panel on 'Migrant work and the future of food in the Netherlands'. It brought together researchers investigating different facets of how migration governance shapes working conditions in Dutch horticulture and the meat-processing industry.
A broad message emerging from her panel was that the Dutch and European regulation of migrant work is a crucial factor in keeping labour costs in food production low and food cheap - at the expense of the migrant workers involved. Hence, alternatives that guarantee justice to the people involved in food cultivation and production are direly needed.
Knowledge, assumptions and preferences in migration and migration policy decisions
In their panel on 'Knowledge, assumptions and preferences in migration and migration policy decisions', Simona Vezzoli and colleagues presented preliminary findings of the 'Making migration and migration policy decisions amidst societal transformations' (PACES) project that focuses on understanding the decision-making processes that underpin the decisions made by (potential) migrants, policymakers and the general population.
Future of labour migration
With his co-author Jing Hiah from the Erasmus School of Law, Roy Huijsmans contributed to the panel on 'Future of labour migration'. Their presentation brought together research on migrants doing domestic work through platforms in the UK, and migrants working with food delivery platforms in the Netherlands.
Their work shows how platforms function as one dimension in migration infrastructures, interacting with other dimensions such as visa regimes and migrant networks. Seonok Lee from Groningen University presented on research with migrants involved in food delivery work, comparing platform-mediated food delivery with non-platform based work.
The session was capped with a presentation by Lambert Obermann and Anita Strockmeijer of the Dutch Advisory Council on Migration. It outlined their recent new approach focused on general well-being guiding labour migration to the Netherlands.
Migration-related research at ISS
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The State of the Art conference is an annual event organized by the Dutch Ministry of Asylum and Migration. It seeks to facilitate conversations on key migration issues amongst scholars, policymakers and other professionals in the field of migration.