The geography of mobilities at the IGG focuses on the question ‘Why do people move?’, looking in particular at movements that take place over a period of time. The Institute is also fully committed to the recent development in social science research, which involved a move from a static ‘methodological nationalism’ approach concentrating on social trends to an approach focusing more on circulation and movement. The IGG aims to highlight the economic, political, socio-cultural and environmental factors that contribute to migration, and the interactions (that occur) between these factors across a range of spatial scales. Thus we have researched themes such as the recent history of immigration in Switzerland, the geographical distribution of asylum seekers in Europe, the migration of footballers, the phenomena of urban sprawl and gentrification, and the migratory plans of students in three West African countries. We have also recently developed a new focus on the effects of environmental change, and particularly global warming, on migration. These issues are studied through the use of case studies (including Bolivia, Niger, Peru, the Philippines, Turkey), as well as from a theoretical and epistemological perspective. The IGG’s research on this topic will contribute to the IPCC’s fifth report (www.ipcc.ch) on the social consequences of climate change.

Link to the "Migration & Climate Change" web page