Biography

Martin Ruhs is Professor of Migration Studies and Deputy Director of the Migration Policy Centre (MPC) at the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. He was previously Professor of Political Economy at the University of Oxford. Martin’s research focuses on the economics and politics of international migration, with a strong international comparative dimension. He is particularly interested in the links between migration and wider public policies, and the tensions between diversity in national institutions (broadly conceived) and supra-national policy-making. Martin’s books include The Price of Rights. Regulating International Labour Migration (Princeton University Press 2013), Bridging the Gaps: Linking Research to Public Debates and Policy Making on Migration and Integration (Oxford University Press 2019, co-edited with Kristof Tamas and Joakim Palme), and Who Needs Migrant Workers? Labour Shortages, Immigration and Public Policy (Oxford University Press 2010, co-edited with Bridget Anderson).

Martin is currently the Principal Investigator of ‘Protecting Irregular Migrants in Europe (PRIME): Institutions, Interests and Policies’ (2023-26) funded by ‘Horizon Europe’. His other ongoing research analyses the tensions between free movement and European welfare states (freeEUmove); public preferences for migration policies (MEDAM); policy elites’ understandings of migrants’ decision-making (DYNAMIG); the role of migrants in shaping systemic resilience (MigResHub); the use of new technologies and perceptions of fairness in asylum and migration governance (AFAR); the ethics of migration policy dilemmas (Dilemmas); and EU Member States’ protection policies for Ukrainian refugees.

Most of Martin’s work addresses key questions and dilemmas in public policy-making. He has provided policy analysis and advice for various national governments and international institutions. Martin is co-editor of the World Migration Report 2018, published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and co-author of a recent (2022) study for the European Parliament, on the rights of irregular migrant workers in Europe. He has written for the New York Times, Financial Times, Guardian and Irish Times.

Research projects, clusters and working groups

Ongoing

• Expert Knowledge and Authority in Transformative Times
• Algorithmic fairness for asylum seekers and refugees
• How migration decisions are made: diverse aspirations, trajectories, and policy effects
• Free movement of workers and European welfare states
• Protecting Irregular Migrants in Europe: Institutions, Interests and Policies
• Global Strategy for Skills, Migration, and Development (GS4S)

Completed

• Mercator dialogue on asylum and migration
• Migrants and Systemic Resilience: A Global COVID19 Research and Policy Hub

Supervisees

• Andreea Ferent
• Julie Fournier
• Hirotaka Fujibayashi

Fields of expertise

Recent research output

• DRAŽANOVÁ, Lenka; RUHS, Martin (2025), The moral conflict underpinning public perceptions of fairness in asylum decision-making , Working Paper
• GSCHWIND, Lutz; RUHS, Martin; AHLEN, Anton; PALME, Joakim (2025), Public preferences for policies vis-à-vis irregular migrants in Europe : the roles of policy design and context , Technical Report
• DETLEFSEN, Lena; RUHS, Martin (2025), Public support for international cooperation on irregular migration : can reciprocity mitigate asymmetric national interests? , Working Paper
• POESCHEL, Friedrich Gerd; BOLAND, Colleen; DE LANGE, Tesseltje; RUHS, Martin; SAKA-HELMHOUT, Ayse (2025), Engaging the private sector in global skills partnerships : exploring the potential of international business-to-business approaches , Working Paper
• DRAŽANOVÁ, Lenka; RUHS, Martin (2024), Fair protection : public perceptions of fairness in asylum decision-making , Working Paper
• BAUBÖCK, Rainer; MOURAO PERMOSER, Julia; RUHS, Martin; SCHMID, Lukas Nepomuk (2024), Debating temporary labour migration policies , Working Paper

Related projects

The ethics of migration policy dilemmas