Martin Ruhs

Professor and Deputy Director of the MPC
  • Phone: +39 055 4685 847
    • 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.

    Working Papers:
    • Anderson, B., Khadka, U. and M. Ruhs (2022) 'Widening the lens: Demand for migrants as essential workers in global supply chains'
    • Palme, J., Ruhs, M., Mårtensson, M. and A. Danielsson (2021) ‘Who wants to reform EU workers’ access to host country welfare states? Institutional contexts of EU Member States’ preferences’
    Research topics: Economics and politics of international migration
    Geographic areas: Europe, North America, Asia
    ORCID ID: orcid.org/0000-0001-6376-2414

    Books and special issues of academic journals
  • Mourão-Permoser, J., Ruhs, M. and R. Bauböck eds. (2022) ‘The ethics of migration policy dilemmas’, Special Issue of Migration Studies 10(3)
  • Ruhs, M., Tamas, T. and J. Palme eds. (2019) Bridging the Gaps: Linking Research to Public Debates and Policy-making on Migration and Integration, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • McAuliffe, M. and M. Ruhs eds. (2017) World Migration Report 2018, International Organization for Migration. IOM: Geneva.
  • Ruhs, M. (2013) The Price of Rights. Regulating International Labor Migration, Princeton University Press [paperback in 2015], Winner of the Best Book Award, Migration and Citizenship Section, American Political Science Association[labour immigration policy data (Stata file) and codebook].
  • Ruhs, M. and B. Anderson eds. (2010) Who Needs Migrant Workers? Labour Shortages, Immigration and Public Policy, Oxford University Press. [paperback in 2012].
  • Anderson, B. and M. Ruhs eds. (2010) “Illegality in Labour Immigration: Concepts, Ethics and Policy Nexus”, Special Issue of Population, Space and Place 16 (3).
  • Mayhew, K. and M. Ruhs eds. (2008) “Labour Migration in Europe”, Special Issue of Oxford Review of Economic Policy 24(3).
  • Ruhs, M. (2005) Managing the Immigration and Employment of Non-EU Nationals in Ireland, Studies in Public Policy: 19 (“Blue Book”), The Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin.

    • Refereed journal articles
  • Österman, M., Palme, J. and M. Ruhs (2023) "Free movement vs. European welfare states? Variations of the fiscal effects of EU migrants across welfare state regimes", Politics & Society
  • Jeannet, A-M., Heidland, T. and M. Ruhs (2023) ‘A need for control? Political trust and public preferences for asylum and refugee policy’, European Political Science Review
  • Mårtensson, M., Österman, M., Palme, J. and M. Ruhs (2023) “Shielding Free Movement? Reciprocity in Welfare Institutions and Opposition to EU Labour Immigration”, Journal of European Public Policy 30:1: 41-63
  • Vrânceanu, A., Dinas, E., Heidland, T. and M. Ruhs (2022) ‘The European refugee crisis and public support for the externalisation of migration management‘, European Journal of Political Research
  • Bauböck, R., Permoser, J., and M. Ruhs (2022) ‘The ethics of migration policy dilemmas’, Migration Studies 10 (3): 427–441
  • Bauböck, R. and M. Ruhs (2022) ‘The Elusive Triple Win: Addressing temporary labour migration dilemmas through fair representation’, Migration Studies 10 (3): 528–552
  • Ruhs, M. (2022) ‘Who cares what the people think? Public attitudes and refugee protection in Europe’, Politics, Philosophy & Economics 21(3): 313–344
  • Anderson, B., Poeschel, F. and M. Ruhs (2021) “Rethinking labour migration: Covid-19, essential work, and systemic resilience”, Comparative Migration Studies 9(45)
  • Jeannet, A.M., Heidland, T. and M. Ruhs (2021) “What asylum and refugee policies do Europeans want? Evidence from a cross-national conjoint experiment” , European Union Politics, OnlineFirst
  • Martin, P. and M. Ruhs (2019) “Labour Market Realism and the Global Compacts on Migration and Refugees”, International Migration 57(6): 80-90
  • Ruhs, M. and J. Palme (2018) “Institutional contexts of political conflicts around free movement in the European Union: A theoretical analysis”, Journal of European Public Policy 25(10): 1481-1500, Previous working paper here.
  • Ruhs, M. (2018) “Labor immigration policies in high-income countries: Variations across political regimes and varieties of capitalism”, Journal of Legal Studies 47 (S1): S89-S127 [Online Appendix] [labour immigration policy data (Stata file) and codebook] – previous working paper here.
  • Ruhs, M. and J. Wadsworth (2018) “The impact of acquiring unrestricted work authorization on Romanian and Bulgarian migrants in the UK”, Industrial and Labor Relations Review 71 (4): 823 – 852.
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “The impact of acquiring EU status on the earnings of East European migrants in the UK: Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment”, British Journal of Industrial Relations 55(4): 716-750.
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “Free movement in the European Union: National institutions vs common policies?”, International Migration 55(S1): 22-38 (previous version here and related blog posts here and here).
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “Rethinking International Legal Standards for the Protection of Migrant Workers: The Case for a ‘Core Rights’ Approach”, American Journal of International Law (AJIL) Unbound 111: 172-176.
  • Ruhs, M. (2016) “The Rights of Migrant Workers: Economics, Politics and Ethics”, International Labour Review, 155 (2): 281-296 (based on this working paper with different title).
  • Ruhs, M. (2015) “Opening borders and protecting migrants: A response to Francisco Alba and David McKenzie”, part of “Review Symposium: The Price of Rights by Martin Ruhs”, Migration Studies, 3 (2): 301-305.
  • Martin, P. and M. Ruhs (2013) “Independent commissions and labour migration”, Migration Letters, 11 (1): 23-32.
  • Ruhs, M. (2012) “The human rights of migrant workers: Why do so few countries care?”, American Behavioural Scientist, 56 (9):1277-93.
  • Anderson, B. and M. Ruhs (2012) “Reliance on Migrant Workers: Inevitability or Policy Choice?”, Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 20 (1): 23-30.
  • Martin, P. and M. Ruhs (2011) “Labor Shortages and US Immigration Reform: Promises and Perils of an Independent Commission”, International Migration Review, 45 (1): 174-187.
  • Ruhs, M. (2010) “Migrant Rights, Immigration Policy and Human Development”, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 11(2): 259-79.
  • Ruhs, M. (2010) “Numbers vs Rights in Low-Skilled Labour Immigration Policy? A Comment on Cummins and Rodriguez”, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 11 (2): 305-9.
  • Ruhs, M. and B. Anderson (2010) “Semi-compliance and illegality in migrant labour markets: An analysis of migrants, employers and the state in the UK”, Population, Space and Place, 16 (3), 195­-215.
  • Anderson, B. and M. Ruhs (2010) “Researching illegality and labour migration”, Population, Space and Place, 16 (3), 175-79.
  • Ruhs, M. (2008) “Economic Research and Labour Immigration Policy”, Oxford Review of Economic Policy 24(3): 1-29.
  • Ruhs, M. and P. Martin (2008) “Numbers vs Rights: Trade-offs and Guest Worker Programs”, International Migration Review 42(1): 249-265.
  • Ruhs, M. (2006) “The potential of temporary migration programmes in future international migration policy”, International Labour Review 145 (1-2).
  • Ruhs, M. and H.-J. Chang (2004) “The Ethics of Labor Immigration Policy”, International Organization 58 (1): 69-102.

    • Academic book chapters
  • Ruhs, M. and J. Palme (2023) 'Free movement and European welfare states: Why child benefits for EU workers should not be exportable, in Revisiting the Fundamentals of the Free Movement of Persons in EU Law, edited by Niamh Nic Shuibhne, Oxford University Press
  • Ruhs, M (2019) “Independent experts and immigration policies in the UK: Lessons from the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) and the Migration Observatory (MigObs)”, in: Bridging the Gaps: Linking Research to Public Debates and Policy-making on Migration and Integration, edited by Ruhs, M., Tamas, T. and J. Palme, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • Ruhs, M., Palme, J., and K. Tamas (2019) “Linking research to public debates and policy-making on migration and integration: An introduction”, in: Bridging the Gaps: Linking Research to Public Debates and Policy-making on Migration and Integration, edited by Ruhs, M., Tamas, T. and J. Palme, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • Palme, J., Ruhs, M., and K. Tamas (2019) “Bridging research, public debates, and policies on migration and integration: Lessons learnt and ways forward”, in: Bridging the Gaps: Linking Research to Public Debates and Policy-making on Migration and Integration, edited by Ruhs, M., Tamas, T. and J. Palme, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  • Ruhs, M. (2018) “’Migrants’, ‘Mobile Citizens’, and the Borders of Exclusion in the European Union”, in Bauböck, R. (ed.) Debating European Citizenship, IMISCO, Springer
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “Making linkages in migration research: ‘Migrants’ and ‘mobile citizens’ in the European Union”, in Migration und Globalisierung in Zeiten des Umbruchs, edited by Friedrich Altenburg, Anna Faustmann, Thomas Pfeffer, Isabella Skrivanek, Edition Donau-Universität Krems.
  • Ruhs, M. (2016) “Protecting the rights of temporary migrant workers: Ideals versus reality”, in Temporary labour migration in the global era: The regulatory challenges, edited by J. Howe and R. Owens, Hart Publishing.
  • Ruhs, M. (2016) “Theorizing labour immigration policies: Openness, skills and rights”, in Handbook on Migration and Social Policy, edited by G. Freeman and N. Mirilovic, Edward Elgar.
  • Ruhs, M (2014) “Immigration and Labour Market Protectionism: Protecting Local Workers' Preferential Access to the National Labour Market”, in Migrants at Work: Immigration and Vulnerability in Labour Law, edited by Cathryn Costello and Mark Freedland, Oxford University Press.
  • Ruhs, M. and B. Anderson (2013) “Responding to Employers: Skills, Shortages and Sensible Immigration Policy”, in Europe’s Immigration Challenge: Reconciling Work, Welfare and Mobility, edited by Elena Jurado and Grete Brochmann, I.B.Tauris & Co Ltd.
  • Anderson, B., Rogaly, B. and M. Ruhs (2012) “Chasing Ghosts: Researching Illegality in Migrant Labour Markets”, in Handbook of Research Methods in Migration, edited by Carlos Vargas Silva, Edward Elgar.
  • Anderson, B. and M. Ruhs (2010) “Migrant workers: who needs them? A framework for the analysis of shortages, immigration and public policy”, Chapter 2 in Who needs migrant workers?, edited by M. Ruhs and B. Anderson, Oxford University Press.
  • Ruhs, M. and B. Anderson (2010) “Introduction”, Chapter 1 in Who needs migrant workers?, edited by M. Ruhs and B. Anderson, Oxford University Press.

    • Research notes and policy reports
  • Maru, M. and M. Ruhs (2022) 'Taking stock of Africa-Europe cooperation on migration: Enduring tensions and policy challenges', in Luecke et al. (2022) Refugee protection in the EU: Building resilience to geopolitical conflict, MEDAM Assessment Report 2022, Kiel
  • Fox-Ruhs, C. and M. Ruhs (2022) ‘The Fundamental Rights of Irregular Migrant Workers in the EU. Understanding and reducing protection gaps’. A Study prepared for the LIBE committee of the European Parliament. Brussels.
  • Ruhs, M. (2021) “Guest Workers: Enduring Questions and Policy Controversies”, International Migration 59(6): 238-241
  • Lücke, M., Ruhs, M. et al. (2021) EU-Turkey: Toward sustainable cooperation in migration management and refugee protection, MEDAM Assessment Report 2021, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
  • Lücke, M, Ruhs, M., and M. Barslund (2019) Rethinking EU migration and asylum policies: Managing immigration jointly with countries of origin and transit, MEDAM Assessment Report 2019, Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
  • Ruhs,M. (2019) ‘Can labor immigration work for refugees?’, Current History, Jan 2019 (link to PDF)
  • Geddes, A. and M. Ruhs (2018) “Reforming asylum and refugee policies in Europe: Attitudes, realism and values”, EUI RSCAS PP; 2019/13; Special Edition for the EP Elections 2019
  • McAuliffe, M. and M. Ruhs (2017) “Making Sense of Migration in an Increasingly Interconnected World”, in World Migration Report 2018, edited by McAuliffe, M. and M. Ruhs, IOM: Geneva.
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “Europe and the ‘refugee/migration crisis’: Starting points for policy debates about protection and integration”, in The Integration of Migrants and Refugees. An EUI Forum on Migration, Citizenship, and Demography. European University Institute, Florence.
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “Protecting Migrant Workers: The Case for a Core Rights Approach”, in Migration Research Leaders’ Syndicate: Ideas to Inform International Cooperation on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, edited by Marie McAuliffe and Michele Klein Solomon, IOM: Geneva.
  • Ruhs, M. (2017) “National Identity and the Goals of Immigration Policies”, in Who Are You? States & the Quest for Identity, edited by Peter Webinger and Alexander Schabasi, Ecomedia.
  • Dumont, J-C., Baldinelli, G., Black, R. and M. Ruhs (2016) “International migration following environmental and geopolitical shocks: How can OECD countries respond?”, chapter 4 in International Migration Outlook 2016, OECD.
  • Ruhs, M. (2016) “Preparing for increased labour mobility in ASEAN: Labour markets, immigration policies and migrant rights”, International Organization for Migration, Bangkok.
  • Ruhs, M (2014) “Rethinking Migrant Rights”, chapter 2 in Rethinking the Attractiveness of EU Labour Immigration Policies, edited by Sergio Carrera, Elspeth Guild and Katharine Eisele, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels.
  • Ruhs, M. and N. Van Hear (Nov 2014) “Irregular migration as a response to geopolitical shocks: The long-term effects of short-term policies”, European University Institute, Working Paper.
  • Ruhs, M. (2013) “Towards a post-2015 development agenda: What role for migrant rights and international labour migration?”, Background Paper for the European Report on Development 2013, ODI, DIE and ECPDM.
  • Ruhs, M. and Anderson, B. (2013) “Migrant Workers: Inevitability or Policy Choice?”, in Making Migration Work. The future of labour migration in the European Union, edited by Jan Willem Holtslag, Monique Kremer and Erik Schrijvers, Dutch Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) [also available in Dutch].
  • Ruhs, M. (2012) “EU enlargement and labour immigration: The UK experience” in Labour Migration: What's in it for us? Experiences from Sweden, the UK and Poland edited by Karin Zelano, FORES, Stockholm.
  • Ruhs, M. (2011) “The role of an independent expert commission in future EU labour immigration policy”, in Moving Beyond Demographics: Perspectives for a Common European Migration Policy, edited by Jan O. Karlsson and Lisa Pellig, Global Utmaning (“Global Challenge”), Stockholm.
  • Blinder, S., Ruhs, M. and C. Vargas-Silva (2011) “Thinking behind the numbers: Understanding public attitudes to immigration in Britain”, The Migration Observatory, Oxford University.
  • Blinder, S., Ruhs, M. and C. Vargas-Silva (2011) “The top ten problems in the evidence base for public debate and policy-making on immigration in the UK”, The Migration Observatory, Oxford University.
  • Ruhs, M. (2011) “The labour market effects of immigration: What do we know?”, The Migration Observatory, Oxford University.
  • Anderson, B. and M. Ruhs (2008) “A need for migrant labour? The micro-level determinants of staff shortages and implications for a skills based immigration policy”, A paper prepared for the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), London.
  • Ruhs, M. (2007) “Greasing the wheels of the flexible labour market: East European labour immigration in the UK”, in Labor Mobility in Europe, Center for European Policy Analysis, Washington DC.
  • Spencer, S., Ruhs, M., Anderson, B. and B. Rogaly (2007) “Migrants’ lives beyond the workplace: The experiences of East and Central Europeans in the UK”, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London.
  • Anderson, B., Ruhs, M., Rogaly, B. and S. Spencer (2006) “Fair enough? Central and East European migrants in low-wage employment in the UK”, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, London.
  • Ruhs, M. (2006) “Current policy framework” (chapter 3) and “Labour market policy considerations” (chapter 7) in NESC, Managing Migration in Ireland: A Social and Economic Analysis, Research Report 116.
  • Ruhs, M. (2005) “Designing viable and ethical labour immigration policies”, in World Migration 2005, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva.
  • Godfrey, M., Ruhs, M, Shah, N. and M. Smith (2004) “Migrant Domestic Workers in Kuwait: Findings Based on a Field Survey and Additional Research”, in Gender and Migration in Arab States: The Case of Domestic Workers, edited by S. Esim and M. Smith, International Labour Office (ILO), Beirut.
  • Ruhs, M. (2003) “Temporary Foreign Worker Programmes: Policies, Adverse Consequences, and the Need to Make Them Work”, in Perspectives on Labour Migration 6, International Migration Branch, International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva.
  • Ruhs, M. (2003) “Emerging Trends and Patterns in the Immigration and Employment of Non-EU Nationals in Ireland: What the Data Reveal”, Policy Institute Working Paper No. 6, The Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin.
  • Godfrey, M. and M. Ruhs (2002) “Migrant Workers in Kuwait: A Review of the Recruitment System in an International Context”, Report for the ILO, GenevaRuhs, M. and N. (major unpublished report for the ILO).
  • Ruhs, M., Rattandilok, N. and N. Poapongsakorn (1999) “Pesticide Use in Thai Agriculture: Problems and Policies”, Pesticide Policy Project Publication Series No. 7, GTZ, Hannover.
  • Ruhs, M., Tangitwisuth, S. and N. Poapongsakorn (1998) “Problems and Outlook of Agriculture in Thailand”, Thailand Development Research Institute Quarterly Review 13(2): 3-14.

    • Selected blog posts
  • Expanding Legal Labour Migration Pathways to the EU: Will This Time Be Different? (Dec 2020) – Istituto Affari Internazionali
  • The Global Compact on Migration – From Ideals to Reality (with Philip Martin, June 2019), EUIdeas
  • Can Labor Immigration Work for Refugees? (April 2019) , Refugees Deeply
  • Do the fiscal effects of EU migrants vary across European countries with different welfare states and labour market institutions? (with Markus Ősterman and Joakim Palme, February 2019), REMINDER blog post
  • National institutions vs EU policies? Why and how differences in welfare states and other national institutions can contribute to political conflicts about the rules for the free movement of workers in the European Union (with Joakim Palme, May 2018)
  • ‘Migrants’, ‘mobile citizens’ and the borders of exclusion in the European Union (Nov 2016)
  • Reforming free movement: Does the UK have a point? (Dec 2015)
  • The case for a global migrant rights database (Nov 2014)
  • Three questions for better immigration debates (July 2014)
  • Ten features of labour immigration policies in high-income countries (Jan 2014)
  • Less is more when it comes to migrant rights (Oct 2013)