In our sixth episode, we are speaking to the researcher Alejandra Rodríguez Sánchez about the concept of pull factors, the twisted logic about it and its misuse in the political debate. The conversation revolved around her research in this field, the distinction between push and pull factors and why the concept cannot be a relevant factor in the discussion about search and rescue missions.
Update August 2023:
The research paper that Alejandra talks about in our interview with her has now been published. It is already highly impacting the debate around SAR-activities. The main finding is that search and rescue does not induce migration. Instead, the research finds that the agreement between Italy and the Libyan militias from July 2017, weather conditions and violent conflict in Libya in April 2019 had an impact on departures from Libya. Please find the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-38119-4