Martin Ruhs
Senior Researcher and Director of the Migration Observatory
+ 44 (0)1865 274567
Martin Ruhs is an economist specialising in the economics and politics of labour immigration, with a strong international comparative dimension.
Martin has conducted studies of the impacts and policy implications of labour immigration in the UK, Ireland, the US, Thailand and Kuwait. His recent research and publications have focused on migrants in low wage jobs in the UK, employer demand for migrant labour, illegality in migrant labour markets, temporary migration programmes and migrant rights. Martin teaches a graduate course on “The economics and politics of international labour migration” Click here for the course outline.
In addition to his academic work, Martin has provided policy analysis and advice for various national governments and international institutions including the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Global Commission on International Migration (GCIM), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Swedish Presidency of the European Union. He was Specialist Advisor to an inquiry by the Economic Affairs Committee of the House of Lords into the economic impacts of immigration (click here for more information). Martin is currently a member of the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) which advises the UK government on labour immigration policy.
Current Projects
- The Economics and Politics of Migrant Rights (book manuscript under contract with Princeton University Press)
- The Migration Observatory @ the University of Oxford
Selected Publications
Ruhs, M. (2011) 'Openness, Skills and Rights: An Empirical Analysis of Labour Immigration Programmes in 46 High- and Middle-income Countries', COMPAS Working Paper, WP-11-88
Martin, P. and M. Ruhs (2011) 'Labor Shortages and U.S. Immigration Reform: Promises and Perils of an Independent Commission', International Migration Review 45 (1): 174-187. COMPAS Working Paper, WP-10-81
Ruhs, M. and Anderson, B. eds. (2010) Who needs migrant workers? Labour shortages, immigration and public policy, Oxford University Press. [Includes: Anderson, B. and Ruhs, M. “Migrant workers: who needs them? A framework for the analysis of shortages, immigration and public policy”, Chapter 2]
Bridget Anderson and Martin Ruhs, eds. (2010) 'Researching Illegality in Labour Migration: Concepts, Ethics and Policy Nexus', special issue of Population, Space and Place, Volume 16 Issue 3 (May/June 2010). [Includes: Anderson, B. And M. Ruhs “Researching illegality and labour migration”, 175-79 (editorial introduction) & Ruhs, M. and B. Anderson “Semi-compliance and illegality in migrant labour markets: An analysis of migrants, employers and the state in the UK”, 195-21]
Ruhs, M. (2010) ‘Migrant Rights, Immigration Policy and Human Development’,(2010), Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 11(2): 259-79. Download article [.pdf]
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