PUBLIC PhD DEFENCE: Els Bekaert

On Thursday, 6 October 2022 at 18.00, Els Bekaert will publicly defend her PhD Thesis Understanding Migration Drivers: The Role of Health and Climate Factors online.

Supervisors: Prof. dr. Ilse Ruyssen and Prof. dr. Gerdie Everaert, Ghent University

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This PhD dissertation explores parts of the nexus between climate change, migration, and health(care), which serves as a common theme throughout the dissertation. Overall, this research project aims to improve our understanding of the way climate and the experience of environmental stress, ill-health, and healthcare dissatisfaction influence migration aspirations and behaviour (both internally, internationally, and return/onwards) differently across countries.

Specifically, Chapter 1 empirically analyses the association between experiencing environmental stress (i.e., floods, droughts, extended periods of extreme heat or cold and pollution) and worldwide migration aspirations and subsequent destination choice. Chapter 2 investigates the association between poor health(care) and migration aspirations and materializations in Africa. Chapter 3 looks at migrants’ motives to stay, return or migrate onwards among others accounting for health status and natural disasters. Chapter 4 analyses the nexus in its entirety by relying on the perceptions of family physicians in Africa.

Els Bekaert, PhD Fellow with UNU-CRIS Label

Understanding migration drivers: the role of health and climate factors

Thursday, 6 October 2022

Start: 18.00

Please register below before 3 October 2022 23:59 CET - participants will receive a link in advance

Please click here to register