Oliver Bakewell

Oliver Bakewell is a Research Officer at IMI.

His research interests include the changing patterns of migration within Africa; the relationship between migration and development; the interface between migration policy and migrants’ behaviour, in particular the attitudes towards and use of papers (passports, ID cards, visas etc.); forced migration, repatriation and humanitarian aid. He is working on the IMI’s African Migrations Programme and the African Perspectives on Human Mobility Programme Foundation and conducting research in collaboration with colleagues in Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana and DR Congo.

He has a first degree in mathematics from the University of Cambridge and MSc and PhD in development studies at the University of Bath. He has been working with refugees and migrants for over fifteen years as both a researcher and practitioner. Prior to joining IMI, he was the Senior Researcher at INTRAC – the International NGO Training and Research Centre – where he was working on more general issues of development practice.

He has conducted research into cross-border movements between Angola and western Zambia and the self-settlement and integration of Angolan refugees. He has an ongoing research interest in the changing perceptions of the border and its impact on everyday life and mobility with the end of the war in Angola.

Other areas of research have included the experiences of asylum seekers in the UK, the role of migrants as development actors, the evaluation of aid programmes, the adoption of rights-based approaches by development NGOs. He has also worked in social development programmes with refugees in Sudan, Tanzania, DR Congo and Zambia and undertaken consultancy assignments in other parts of Africa, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

Publications

BAKEWELL, O. (2008) 'Keeping Them in Their Place: The ambivalent relationship between development and migration in Africa', Third World Quarterly, 29(7):1341-1358.  Download paper

BAKEWELL, O. (2008) 'Perspectives from Governments of Countries of Origin and Migrant Associations', In Migration and Development: Perspectives from the South(Eds, Castles, S. and Wise, R. D.) International Organisation for Migration, Geneva, pp. 285-303.

BAKEWELL, O. (2008) 'In Search of the Diasporas within Africa', African Diaspora, 1(1):  Download paper

BAKEWELL, O. (forthcoming) 'Research beyond the categories: the importance of policy irrelevant research into forced migration', Journal of Refugee Studies, 21(4): 

BAKEWELL, O. and DE HAAS, H. (2007) 'African Migrations: continuities, discontinuities and recent transformations', In African Alternatives(Eds, de Haan, L., Engel, U. and Chabal, P.) Brill, Leiden, pp. 95-117.

BAKEWELL, O. (2007) 'Breaching the Borders between Research and Practice: Development NGOs and Qualitative Data', In Negotiating Boundaries and Borders; Qualitative Methodology and Development Research, Vol. 8 (Ed, Smith, M.) Elsevier, London, pp. 217-238.

BAKEWELL, O. (2007) 'The Meaning and Use of Identity Papers: handheld and heartfelt nationality in the borderlands of North-West Zambia', IMI Working Paper 5. International Migration Institute, Oxford.  Download paper

BAKEWELL, O. (2007) 'Researching refugees: lessons from the past, current challenges and future directions', Refugee Survey Quarterly, 26(3):6-14.

BAKEWELL, O. (2006) 'Community Services In Refugee Aid Programmes: Leading the Way in the Empowerment of Refugees or a Sop to Humanitarian Consciences', In Forced Migration And Global Processes: a view from forced migration studies(Eds, Crepeau, F., Nakache, D., Collyer, M., Goetz, N. H., Hansen, A., Modi, R., Nadig, A., Spoljar-Vrzina, S. and Willigen, L. H. M. v.) Lexington Books, Lanham MD, pp. 319-342.

BAKEWELL, O. (2004) 'Repatriation: Angolan Refugees or Migrating Villagers?', In Refugees and the Transformation of Society: Agency, Policies, Ethics and Politics(Eds, Essed, P., Frerks, G. and Shrivers, J.) Berghahn Books, New York and Oxford.

BAKEWELL, O. (2003) Sharpening the Development Process: A Practical Guide to Monitoring and Evaluation, INTRAC, Oxford.

BAKEWELL, O. (2002) 'Refugee aid and protection in rural Africa: working in parallel or cross-purposes?', Refugee Survey Quarterly, 21(1/2):228-241.

BAKEWELL, O. (2000) 'Repatriation and Self-settled Refugees in Zambia: Bringing Solutions to the Wrong Problems', Journal of Refugee Studies, 13(4):356-373.

BAKEWELL, O. (2000) 'Uncovering Local Perspectives on Humanitarian Assistance and its Outcomes', Disasters, 24(2):103-116.

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