Report on the Migration Policy Institute’s Roundtable

November 9, 2004

Speaker Biography

Loren B. Landau is Acting Director and Research Coordinator for Wits University’s Forced Migration Studies Programme.  He holds Masters and Doctorate degrees in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a Masters of Science in Development Studies from the London School of Economics. He has also worked in Washington D.C. as a policy advocate on behalf of refugees. Past research projects include explorations of the effects of refugees and humanitarian aid on the economy, politics, and identities of the citizens of Western Tanzania and on the applicability of a human development approach to refugee assistance in Western Cote d’Ivoire. He also has a keen interest in the challenges of researching ‘difficult’ populations, including refugees and other migrants. In his current capacity he is coordinating a graduate programme in Forced Migration Studies and co-directing a comparative project in Johannesburg, Maputo, and Nairobi investigating migration and Africa's transforming urban environments. He is editor of 'Forced Migrants in the New Johannesburg: Towards a Local Government Response' and co-editor of a book series, to be co-published by James Currey investigating displacement, citizenship, and the African state.

Moderator

Kathleen Newland is Director and Co-Founder of the Migration Policy Institute.  Her work focuses on refugee protection, international humanitarian response, and migration and development.  Previously, she was a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she co-directed the International Migration Policy Program (1994-2001).  She chairs the Board of Directors of the Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children and sits on the Board of the International Rescue Committee.  Before joining the Endowment, Ms. Newland worked as an independent consultant.  Her principle clients were the UNHCR, the World Bank, and the office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. In 1992-1993, she wrote the first State of the World’s Refugees report for UNHCR, which has become the organization’s flagship biennial publication. From 1988-1992, Ms. Newland lectured at the London School of Economics, becoming a full-time member of the International Relations faculty in 1990.  Ms. Newland is the author or editor of five books and 11 shorter monographs as well as numerous articles and book chapters.  Ms. Newland is a graduate of Harvard University and the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University. She did additional graduate work at the London School of Economics.

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