Aimee Kuvik
Current research
My main research interest is in indentifying new migration trends and the institutional factors that are influencing their development. I am currently working on my PhD (2007-present) at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research (AISSR), University for Amsterdam. My research examines the theories and processes behind the ‘global competition for talent.’ This phrase has become more prevalent in discussions of skilled migration since the late 1990s and implies a link between immigration and economic competitiveness. Yet, it has currently been used more as a buzzword than systematically studied. In order to shed light on both the theories and processes influencing the global competition for talent in practice, my research focuses on the case of the life sciences and biotechnology in Europe. The life sciences and biotechnology are of growing interest due to both the environmental solutions they provide and due to the increasing importance of R&D and innovation for economic competitiveness in advanced economies. Yet, neither the local workforce availability nor the possibility to recruit large numbers of foreign candidates can be taken for granted. The research examines:
> Life scientists’ career aspirations, including level of interest in international mobility and perceived ‘magnet’ economies
> Labor shortages and business recruitment practices
> Policies and structural factors related to skilled migration and life science employment
As little statistical data is available that looks at the biotech workforce, I have partnered with the Young European Biotech Network to create the Careers in Life Sciences (CiLS) project.
Contact
a.n.kuvik1@uva.nl
Research Grants/Scholarships
Fulbright Scholarship in Lithuania, Guest at Department of Economics, Vilnius University, Sept. 2008- June 2009
Swedish Institute Guest Scholarship, guest at the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society (REMESO), Linköping University, June 2009-June 2010
Scholarship from the Institute of Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES), University of Amsterdam, June 2010-2011
Recent publications
Glorius, B., Grabowska-Lusinska, I. & A.Kuvik (Eds.) (forthcoming in 2012). Mobility in Transition: Migration Patterns After EU Enlargement. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press IMISCOE-AUP Research Series.
Kuvik, A. (forthcoming in 2012). “The race for global talent, EU enlargement and the implications for migration policies and processes in European labour markets” In Glorius, B., Grabowska-Lusinska, I. & A.Kuvik (Eds.). Mobility in Transition: Migration Patterns After EU Enlargement. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press IMISCOE-AUP Research Series.
Kuvik, A. (forthcoming). “Skilled Migration in Europe and Beyond: Recent Developments & Theoretical Considerations.” In M. Martiniello & J. Rath (Eds.), International Migration and Immigrant Incorporation. The Dynamics of Globalization and Ethnic Diversity in European Life. Amsterdam: IMISCOE Textbook Series, Amsterdam UniversityPress.
Kuvik, A. (in review). “The ‘Developing’ Global Competition for Talent.” Special issue, “An institutional perspective on skilled mobilities and development” Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie.