Institute of Geography

University of Neuchâtel

FLSH – Esp. Tilo Frey 1

2000 Neuchâtel - Switzerland

Telephone: +41 32 7181919 (direct) / 7181812 (secr.)

Email: Etienne.piguet@unine.ch

 

Ph.D. (economics) University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 1998

Masters’ Degree University of Lausanne, Switzerland, 1989

 

Research Themes: Human migration, entrepreneurship, economic and social integration of migrants/returnees, climate change and migration

 

Etienne Piguet is Professor of Geography [Professeur ordinaire /geography of mobilities] at the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He is vice-president of the Swiss Federal Commission on Migration (appointed by the Swiss Federal Council), Chair of the Commission on Population Geography of the International Geographical Union (IGU) and Chair of the Swiss Committee of the International Geographical Union. He acted as Review Editor for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of United Nations (WMO/UNEP – WG2 AR5, chapter 13) and is member of several scientific associations and committees including the Swiss Association of Geography (steering committee), the Association of American Geographers and the Société suisse d’études africaines.

 

In his research Etienne Piguet has examined issues of entrepreneurship and immigration (OECD), discrimination in the labour market (OECD), “decent work” (ILO), international and internal migration/asylum flows and socio-economic integration (SNF, Swiss Federal Office of Statistics), migration intentions (SNIS), and environmental migrations (IPCC-UNHCR-IOM-Swiss Academies of Science). He was involved in the preparation of the IPCC’s 5^th report (WMO/UNEP) published on March 31^st 2014.

 

Etienne Piguet’s research projects have been conducted in Switzerland, Niger, Senegal and in Latin America. He has worked in collaboration with international organizations such as the OECD, ILO, IOM, UNHCR, and national bodies such as the Federal Office for Migration, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Proclim, the Commission for Research Partnerships with Developing Countries (KFPE), and others.

 

His main contributions to research have been the first in-depth analysis of Swiss migration policies and their consequences (2001), the development of methodological tools to assess discrimination levels in the process of naturalization (2002) and in the labour market (2003), and the impact of asylum policies on the geography of asylum requests (2005). Since his pioneer publication for the UNHCR in 2008, Etienne Piguet is considered as one of the world’s specialist of migration and environment. His papers are among the most cited on the topic.

 

Etienne Piguet has significant experience in managing research projects involving research teams coordinated from different countries. An example is the large research project entitled “Staying or leaving? Migration in the life plans of West African students: case studies in Abidjan, Niamey and Saint-Louis”, which was financed by the Swiss Network for International Studies in partnership with the International Organization for Migration and UNESCO. He supervised more than 40 MA dissertation and 6 (completed) Phd.

 

Etienne Piguet has peer-reviewed numerous research projects for the SNF, the NORFACE Research Program (European Commission's 6th Framework), the Economic and Social Research Council (UK), the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (F) and the Government Office for Science (UK). He is also regularly involved in peer-reviewing papers for scientific journals such as the Area; the Swiss Journal of Sociology; Journal of International Migration and Integration; Swiss Development Policies Yearbook; International Migration; Population & Environment; Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society; Global Environmental Change, Environment & Planning, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, International Journal of Peace and Development Studies, Climate and Development, Global Networks, The Professional Geographer, and others. He is also a peer-reviewer for scientific publishers such as Earthscan; Cambridge University Press; Springer; Routledge, and others.

 

 

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