Global Program
The Global Program acts as a policy laboratory for innovative, evidence-based, and politically feasible solutions to migration policy challenges. From direct policy advice to deep comparative research, its work interrogates policy design and effectiveness, helps countries newer to immigration learn from innovation and evidence in other regions, and anticipates how demographic, economic, and technological shifts will reshape migration in the years ahead. It supports governments in responding to crises with greater coordination and foresight, and provides a trusted off-the-record space for engaging with sensitive topics. Its main geographical focus is Europe, the Americas, and Australia, but it increasingly works with governments and other partners worldwide, including in East Africa and Asia. For more on the Global Program, click here.
Featured
Population Aging Is Here. Immigration Can Offer Half an Answer.
Immigration on its own cannot solve population aging, but five policy principles can help it play a more effective role in a broader demographic…
Creating Inclusive Urban Economies for Migrants and Refugees
Cities hold powerful levers to turn migrants' and refugees' underused talent into economic growth—but doing so requires moving beyond first…
More Featured Work
Key Statistics
International migrants comprise 3.7 percent of the global population. Learn more about them
304.0 million
The number of migrants globally in 2024
50.6 million
The number who as of 2025 were refugees or asylum seekers
94.0 million
The number of international migrants in Europe—the top destination globally
Showing 411–420 of 696 results
Improving Education for Migrant-Background Students: A Transatlantic Comparison of School Funding
Supplementary school funding is essential for migrant-background students in Europe and North America. But effectiveness hinges on rigorous identification, clear spending rules, and oversight.
Will Britain Leave the EU? The Role of Immigration in Brexit
MPI analysts explore how the migration politics and policies of the UK government influenced the decision to hold the "Brexit" referendum, how public attitudes towards immigration might influence the result, and how the outcome might impact migration policy in the United Kingdom and European Union more broadly.
Maintaining Public Trust in the Governance of Migration
Without public trust, governments lose room to innovate on immigration and pay disproportionate penalties for mistakes, making trust as important as any specific policy.
Engaging the Anxious Middle on Immigration Reform: Evidence from the UK Debate
UK polling reveals a majority anxious middle that is skeptical of immigration governance but not hostile to immigrants—a nuance British policymakers have consistently missed.
Asylum Reception in the European Union: A flexible model for the future?
The pressure brought by the influx of migrants and refugees to Europe has drawn attention to the need for systems to receive and house new arrivals that can adapt to unpredictable numbers, remain cost-efficient, and meet national and EU standards. Experts discuss how to devise a more responsive asylum reception system that upholds common standards at the national and EU level.
EU Asylum Application Trends for Select Nationalities
Syrians accounted for 15 percent of EU asylum applications between 2008-2015, with 615,040 people applying.
Managing Religious Difference in North America and Europe in an Era of Mass Migration
Cultural fears dominate European Muslim integration debates while security concerns drive U.S. discourse, demanding distinct policy responses on each side of the Atlantic.
Resettlement Plus: Clearing the path to safety and opportunity for refugees
Experts discuss what is being done and what can be done to connect Syrians and other refugees with opportunities to settle, work, and live outside the immediate region of the conflict.
No Way Out? Making additional migration channels work for refugees
Global displacement has outpaced traditional durable solutions such as resettlement. Legal labour, education, and family channels offer underutilised paths to refugee self-sufficiency.
Spain: New Emigration Policies Needed for an Emerging Diaspora
Spain's emigration of educated youth has alarmed the public, but data gaps, low opportunity costs, and outdated diaspora policies leave the country without tools to manage this outflow.
