Human Development Research Initiative

HDRI is excited to announce the release of our latest policy brief: "Suspension of Rights and Informal Migration Governance: The Case of Italy's Pantelleria Hotspot". Authored by Guglielmo Maria Barbetta and Camilla Pardini, this critical study examines the hidden human costs of migration management at one of the EU's principal entry points. For over a decade, migrant arrivals on the Italian island of Pantelleria have been processed at a facility operating outside of requir

Are "smart camps" truly a step forward for humanitarian aid, or just a new form of digital containment? HDRI is thrilled to present our newest paper authored by Farhan Soumit, Giorgos Kapasakalis, and Renteria Vizcarra Arantza Micaela, and it explores the rapidly changing landscape of European migration management. As Europe's borders become increasingly digitized, this paper analyzes the emergence of digital border infrastructures on the Greek islands of Lesvos and Samos , u

The Human Development Research Initiative (HDRI) presents its new publication on "Gender-Based Persecution and Protection: Afghan Women and Girls In The French Asylum Framework" written by @Anna Lisa Johner and edited by @Guglielmo Maria BARBETTA. This brief examines the acute effects of forced migration due to the systematic gender-based persecution of Afghan women and girls under Taliban rule, and the urgent need for EU states to implement gender-responsive migration govern

📄 The EU's newest reception centres on Lesvos and Samos are fitted with biometric gates, AI surveillance, and real-time monitoring. Behind that infrastructure: overcrowded facilities, daily water shortages, and people who can't eat when the system goes down. "Smart Camps and Digital Border Governance in the Eastern Mediterranean" is HDRI's new Migration & Security research paper, authored by Soumit Farhan, Georgios Kapsalis, and Arantza Renteria Vizcarra, and edited by Gugli

Discover the profound connections between France's colonial past, migration flows from Africa, and their lasting ripple effects on security, society, and development in this groundbreaking research paper. Authored by Lejla Ajdin and edited by G.M. Barbetta, this HDRI study dives deep into migration from former French colonies, focusing on Morocco and Niger to France, where immigrants comprise over 10% of the population.🌍✨ ​ Our study examines how colonial histories shape tod

🌿 A UNESCO forest. A border wall. A humanitarian emergency that EU law is struggling to address. HDRI's new Migration & Security paper examines what has been unfolding at the Białowieża Forest, on the Poland-Belarus border, since 2021. Author Guglielmo Maria Barbetta traces the overlapping consequences of border militarization: systematic pushbacks denying migrants access to asylum, documented violence against people stranded in dangerous conditions, and a fortified wall cut