I do research on global migration, immobility and transnationalism. My work seeks to explain how migration arises, and how it affects societies, families and individuals. These broad questions have led to research on a range of specialized topics, including migrant smuggling, and remittance transactions, and migration aspirations. My theoretical contributions to migration studies include the aspiration/ability model (2002), the concept of involuntary immobility (2002), the asymmetries of migrant...

Expertise

Migration processes
Migration consequences (for migrants, sending and receiving countries)
Migration governance
Cross-cutting topics in migration research
Disciplines
Methods
Geographies

Roles

  • PRIO

    Research Institute, Oslo, Norway
    Research Professor

  • Peace Research Institute Oslo

    Research Institute, Oslo, Norway
    Research Professor

Research

Why Do People Migrate? Fresh Takes on the Foundational Question of Migration Studies

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2024
Journal Name International Migration Review
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1 Journal Article

Mixed methods: bridging the qualitative–quantitative divide in migration research

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2024
Book Title How to Do Migration Research
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2 Book Chapter

The phrase ‘refugees and migrants’ undermines analysis, policy and protection

Authors Jorgen Carling, Jørgen Carling
Year 2023
Journal Name International Migration
Citations (WoS) 10
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3 Journal Article

Living in two countries: Transnational living as an alternative to migration

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal, Cathrine Talleraas
Year 2021
Journal Name Population, Space and Place
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4 Journal Article

New economics of transnational living

Authors Marta Bivand Erdal, Jørgen Carling
Year 2020
Journal Name Population, Space and Place
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5 Journal Article

Circumstantial migration: how Gambian journeys to China enrich migration theory

Authors Jørgen Carling, Heidi Østbø Haugen
Year 2020
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
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6 Journal Article

CrossMigration

Principal investigator Peter Scholten (Project co-ordinator), Asya Pisarevskaya (Project manager), Nathan Levy (Project manager), Adham Aly (Project assistant)
Description
The Migration Research Hub supports the systematic accumulation of knowledge in migration studies. It aims to be the go-to resource for finding knowledge on migration, from the latest literature to the most appropriate topical experts. In the spirit of a collaborative approach to knowledge management in migration studies, researchers from all around the world are invited to contribute with their publications and expertise to further innovation in the field. The taxonomy of migration studies developed through this project allows everyone to identify opportunities for collaboration and new research projects across disciplines and geographies. The systematic approach to data collection and knowledge accumulation promotes and facilitates dialogue between researchers and policy stakeholders, and raises awareness of the latest debates and the most current and emerging questions about migration. The Migration Research hub was built during the IMISCOE-led Horizon 2020 project, CrossMigration (2018-2020). See a list of the team members below. The project is now fully integrated into and maintained by IMISCOE.
Year 2018
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7 Project

Aspiration, desire and drivers of migration

Authors Jørgen Carling, Francis Collins
Year 2017
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Citations (WoS) 21
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9 Journal Article

Revisiting aspiration and ability in international migration

Authors Jørgen Carling, Kerilyn Schewel
Year 2017
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Citations (WoS) 15
10 Journal Article

Visualizing the transnational connections of China’s most African neighbourhood

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2017
Journal Name Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space
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11 Journal Article

Refugee Advocacy and the Meaning of ‘Migrants’

Authors Carling Jørgen
Year 2017
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12 Policy Brief

A landmark in the landscape of migration studies

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2015
Journal Name Ethnic and Racial Studies
Citations (WoS) 1
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14 Journal Article

Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marta Bolognani, Marta Bivand Erdal, ...
Description
This report presents insights from the research project Possibilities and Realities of Return Migration (PREMIG), funded by the Research Council of Norway and led by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Over a five-year period, a core group of eight researchers in Norway and the United Kingdom studied return migration from multiple perspectives. They drew upon statistical analyses and face-to-face interaction with more than five hundered migrants and returnees in seven countries.
Year 2015
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15 Report

The International Migration Review at 50: Reflecting on Half a Century of International Migration Research and Looking Ahead

Authors Jennifer Lee, Jørgen Carling, Pia Orrenius
Year 2014
Journal Name International Migration Review
Citations (WoS) 4
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16 Journal Article

Scripting Remittances: Making Sense of Money Transfers in Transnational Relationships

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2014
Journal Name International Migration Review
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17 Journal Article

Measuring remittances through surveys

Authors Richard Brown, Melissa Siegel, Sonja Fransen, ...
Year 2014
Journal Name Demographic Research
Citations (WoS) 4
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18 Journal Article

Return Migration and Transnationalism: How Are the Two Connected?

Authors Jorgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal
Year 2014
Journal Name International Migration
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19 Journal Article

Private money, public scrutiny? Contrasting perspectives on remittances

Authors CINDY HORST, MARTA BIVAND ERDAL, JØRGEN CARLING, ...
Year 2014
Journal Name Global Networks
Citations (WoS) 9
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20 Journal Article

Return Migration Intentions in the Integration–Transnationalism Matrix

Authors Jorgen Carling, Silje Vatne Pettersen
Year 2014
Journal Name International Migration
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21 Journal Article

Beyond the insider–outsider divide in migration research

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal, Rojan Ezzati
Year 2013
Journal Name Migration Studies
Citations (WoS) 32
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22 Journal Article

Fathers' whereabouts and children's welfare in Malawi

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marianne Tønnessen
Year 2013
Journal Name Development Southern Africa
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23 Journal Article

Migration aspirations in Senegal: Who wants to leave and why does it matter?

Authors J. Carling, P.D. Fall, M. Hernández-Carretero, ...
Year 2013
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24 Policy Brief

The Capacity and Desire to Remit: Comparing Local and Transnational Influences

Authors Jørgen Carling, Kristian Hoelscher
Year 2013
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Citations (WoS) 26
25 Journal Article

How does Conflict in Migrants’ Country of Origin Affect Remittance-Sending? Financial Priorities and Transnational Obligations among Somalis and Pakistanis in Norway

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal, Cindy Horst
Year 2012
Journal Name International Migration Review
Citations (WoS) 25
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26 Journal Article

Collecting, Analysing and Presenting Migration Histories

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2012
Book Title Handbook of Research Methods in Migration
27 Book Chapter

Central Themes in the Study of Transnational Parenthood

Authors Jørgen Carling, Cecilia Menjívar, Leah Schmalzbauer
Year 2012
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
28 Journal Article

Mobility, Moralities and Motherhood: Navigating the Contingencies of Cape Verdean Lives

Authors Lisa Åkesson, Jørgen Carling, Heike Drotbohm
Year 2012
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
29 Journal Article

Beyond "Kamikaze Migrants": Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe

Authors Maria Hernandez-Carretero, Jorgen Carling
Year 2012
Journal Name Human Organization
Citations (WoS) 20
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30 Journal Article

Protecting Europe and Protecting Migrants? Strategies for Managing Unauthorised Migration from Africa

Authors Jørgen Carling, María Hernández-Carretero
Year 2011
Journal Name The British Journal of Politics and International Relations
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31 Journal Article

Mobility at the Heart of a Nation: Patterns and Meanings of Cape Verdean Migration

Authors Jorgen Carling, Lisa Akesson
Year 2009
Journal Name International Migration
Citations (WoS) 27
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32 Journal Article

Toward a Demography of Immigrant Communities and Their Transnational Potential

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2008
Journal Name International Migration Review
Citations (WoS) 18
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33 Journal Article

The determinants of migrant remittances

Authors Jorgen Carling
Year 2008
Journal Name Oxford Review of Economic Policy
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34 Journal Article

The human dynamics of migrant transnationalism

Authors J⊘rgen Carling
Year 2008
Journal Name Ethnic and Racial Studies
Citations (WoS) 116
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35 Journal Article

Unauthorized Migration from Africa to Spain

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2007
Journal Name International Migration
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36 Journal Article

Migration Control and Migrant Fatalities at the Spanish-African Borders

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2007
Journal Name International Migration Review
Citations (WoS) 99
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37 Journal Article

Legal, Rapid and Reasonably Priced? A Survey of Remittance Services in Norway

Authors Jørgen Carling, Marta Bivand Erdal, Cindy Horst, ...
Description
What opportunities do immigrants in Norway have for sending money to their countries of origin? To answer that question, this report examines the various services on offer in the Norwegian market. Focusing on transfers to twelve specific countries, the report compares the availability of different services, as well as their price and quality. The countries covered are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Iraq, Kenya, Lithuania, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Somalia and Vietnam. The services examined include regular bank transfers, money-transfer services, web-based transfers and so-called hawala services. In recent years, research on remittances has highlighted the importance of transfer mechanisms. The way in which money is sent determines how much of the original amount reaches the recipients, and affects how the money enters the local economy. For some immigrants, the lack of regular remittance services to their country of origin compels them to use services that may be illegal. The research presented here has various audiences. First, it is intended to inform government policy in the field of remittances. Second, the report may help remittance senders understand their options and make well-informed choices. Third, the analysis can assist private-sector businesses to develop better remittance services. The report has been funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The research it contains is linked with PRIO’s broader research activity in the fields of migrant remittances and transnationalism. The findings of this report are also presented at the website www.sendepenger.no.
Year 2007
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38 Report

On the edge of the Chinese diaspora: The surge of baihuo business in an African city

Authors Heidi Østbø Haugen, Jørgen Carling
Year 2005
Journal Name Ethnic and Racial Studies
Citations (WoS) 62
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39 Journal Article

Migrant Remittances and Development Cooperation

Authors Jørgen Carling
Description
This report has been commissioned by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). Migrant remittances are transfers of value by emigrants or their descendants to their country of origin. Registered remittances to developing countries are will be close to 100 billion USD in 2004, or roughly one and a half times official development assistance. In addition, a large, unknown amount is transferred through informal channels or to countries that do not report statistics on remittances. The effects of remittances on development are often complex and contradic-tory, but seen in a positive light by the majority of analysts. In a handful of developing countries, remittances from emigrants account for more than 10 per cent of GDP. Remittances are of high importance to the national economy of eleven of Norad’s 25 partner countries, and of considerable importance in another eight countries. Remittances are transferred through a variety of channels that differ with respect to cost, speed, convenience and other factors. From a policy perspective, it is desirable to reduce transfers costs, discourage the use of informal channels, and promote transfers that enter financial institutions in the receiving country. The latter has come to be seen as a principal strategy for increasing the benefits of remittances. Rather than relying on entrepreneurship by migrants or their relatives, it is possible to encourage saving in financial institutions, thereby increasing access to credit for entrepreneurs who may or may not be migrants themselves. Other strategies for increasing the development effects of remittances include financial incentive schemes to increase the volume of remittances, matching the development investments of migrant associations with government funds, and improving the investment climate for small and medium enterprises. In many cases it is possible and desirable to implement policies that do not involve positive discrimination of migrants or their families. Several of Norway’s partner countries are represented with sizeable immigrant populations in Norway. Other European countries increasingly see policies on immigration and integration on the one hand, and development cooperation on the other hand as linked. This could also be fruitful in Norway.
Year 2005
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40 Report

Emigration, return and development in Cape Verde: the impact of closing borders

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2004
Journal Name Population, Space and Place
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41 Journal Article

Cartographies of Cape Verdean transnationalism

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2003
Journal Name Global Networks
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42 Journal Article

Migration in the age of involuntary immobility: Theoretical reflections and Cape Verdean experiences

Authors J⊘rgen Carling
Year 2002
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
43 Journal Article

The multi-level determinants of international migration aspirations in 25 communities in Africa, Asia and the Middle East

Authors Jessica Hagen-Zanker, Jørgen Carling, Nicolás Caso, ...
Year 2000
Journal Name World Development
44 Journal Article

Surveys on migration aspirations, plans and intentions: a comprehensive overview

Authors Mathilde Bålsrud Mjelva, Jørgen Carling
Year 2023
Journal Name Open Research Europe
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45 Journal Article

Author Correction: Climatic conditions are weak predictors of asylum migration

Authors Sebastian Schutte, Jonas Vestby, Jørgen Carling, ...
Year 2021
Journal Name Nature Communications
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46 Journal Article

Climatic conditions are weak predictors of asylum migration

Authors Sebastian Schutte, Jonas Vestby, Jørgen Carling, ...
Year 2021
Journal Name Nature Communications
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47 Journal Article

Exploring 12 Migration Corridors: Rationale, Methodology and Overview

Authors Dominique Jolivet, Jørgen Carling
Book Title Beyond Networks
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48 Book Chapter

Making and Breaking a Chain: Migrants’ Decisions about Helping Others Migrate

Authors Jørgen Carling
Book Title Beyond Networks
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49 Book Chapter

Suggested Research

Immigration Worldwide: Policies, Practices, and Trends

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2012
Journal Name Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies
Citations (WoS) 1
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1 Journal Article

Book Review: Gender and Migration in Southern Europe: Women on the Move

Authors Jørgen Carling
Year 2002
Journal Name Asian and Pacific Migration Journal
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2 Journal Article
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