Prof. Abdeslam Marfouk (Associate Professor and Researcher University of Liège, Belgium) and Dr. Verena Wisthaler (Head of Center for Migration and Societal Change Eurac Research, Italy) are seeking book chapter contributions for their book "Handbook of Skilled Migration"
About the Book:
The book is part of the Handbook series published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book offers an original contribution to the debate on skilled migration and its impact both on countries of origin as well as on countries of destination and on circular and transnational migration. The book takes a global perspective on the phenomenon and aims at discussing skilled migration from a magnitude of disciplinary angles.
One of the main concerns about the emigration of highly skilled labor is the potential loss of the investment associated with the education and training. These concerns are now widespread, not only among academics, but also among policymakers and international and regional development agencies. In addition to the waste of resources invested in education, the early literature on brain drain supports the view that skilled migration has several negative effects on countries of origin, Bhagwati and Hamada (1974).
More recent literature mitigates the above negative view by suggesting several potential compensatory effects of brain drain. The channels through which these effects may occur are diverse: remittances, return migration, promotion of bilateral trade and foreign direct investment between migrants' countries of origin and destination, and stimulation of human capital formation among residents in migrants' countries of origin.
Additionally the literature focuses more and more also on the effects of skilled migration on destination countries, underlying the importance for economic growth and stability as well as for innovation, knowledge development and resilience of particular segments of the labour market. This book takes a global perspective by bringing together insights from the Global South and North and covering different disciplines on skilled migration and its impact on countries of origin and destination, as well as on circular and transnational migration.
We invite established scholars and emerging and early career researchers from different disciplines to contribute to the handbook, as we aim to become a reference for researchers on different aspects of skilled migration and provide insight for policy makers and institutions in this salient debate.
We seek contributions discussing policies, practices and challenges as well as new developments in skilled migration from historical, philosophical, ethical, theoretical and empirical perspective, covering a wide range of issues, such as the scale and evolution of skilled migration; developments within particular sectors, such as the medical sector, but also brain waste and the de-qualification of skills; skilled migration and particular groups of migrants, such as women, refugees etc. Structure of the Handbook:
The Handbook will include max. 22 chapter, each composed of 6000 words (including reference list).
Co-authorship is possible, yet limited to two authors per chapter.
Important Dates – publication in 2027
Abstract submission: 30 September 2025
Abstract acceptance notification: 28 November 2025
Full chapter submission: 31 May 2026
Comments for revision: 31 August 2026
Final drafts: 31 November 2026
Submit Your Chapter Proposal – Deadline: 30 September 2025
Please send your chapter proposal as an email attachment to: Dr. Verena Wisthaler (
Your proposal should include an abstract of 500 words summarizing the main points of your chapter, max one-page list of the chapter's main references, and a short biography including your institutional affiliations.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions:
Dr. Verena Wisthaler Head of Center for Migration and Societal Change Eurac Research Contact:
Prof. Abdeslam Marfouk Researcher, Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM), University of Liège Contact: a.marfouk&@uliege.be Liege, Belgium