Dr Madeleine Sumption: What Is Immigration Policy For?
- £20
- 05 May 26
- Salisbury Museum
- 19:00
Dr Madeleine Sumption explores the goals, challenges, and trade-offs of immigration policy, offering an evidence-based look at how migration shapes society and public debate.
Immigration remains one of the most hotly debated public policy issues of our time, but what are the goals of immigration policy, and why does it so often leave both decision-makers and the public frustrated? Drawing on decades of research and global examples, Dr Madeleine Sumption will explore what immigration policy actually seeks to achieve, the complex trade-offs governments face, and why rhetoric so frequently diverges from reality. From labour markets and skilled migration to family routes, enforcement and refugee protection, this talk offers a clear-eyed, evidence-based look at how policy has developed and what better outcomes might look like. Expect an engaging discussion that goes beyond partisan headlines to examine how we got here, and how we might get to a better place.
Dr Madeleine Sumption MBE is a leading expert on migration and public policy. She is Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, an independent research centre providing clear, evidence-based analysis on migration issues. Her work focuses on the design and impact of immigration policies, labour migration, and how policy choices affect people and communities. She has served on the UK Migration Advisory Committee, advising government on migration strategy, and chairs the National Statistician’s advisory panel on migration statistics. Dr Sumption’s forthcoming book What Is Immigration Policy For? (Bristol University Press) draws on decades of research to explain the goals, challenges and often invisible trade-offs inherent in immigration policy, and why many find current arrangements unsatisfying. In recognition of her contribution to social science, she was awarded an MBE in 2017.