Syracuse Sun

Lamis Abdelaaty, an associate professor at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has been awarded a $2 million grant from the European Research Council. She will serve as a co-principal investigator on a project examining the effectiveness of international refugee law.

The research initiative, titled “RefLex: Is International Refugee Law Effective?”, is led by principal investigator Cathryn Costello from University College Dublin Sutherland School of Law. Ashwini Vasanthakumar from Queen’s University Law School in Canada joins as another co-principal investigator. The team also includes two post-doctoral researchers and two Ph.D. students.

The study will employ statistical analysis, qualitative methods, case studies, and conceptual analysis to create a new dataset called the Refugee Protection Index. This index aims to assess how well international refugee law provides protection for refugees, influences state behavior, and motivates social or legal actions by refugees themselves.

“Whether and how international refugee law can be effective are pressing questions for scholars of international refugee politics,” Abdelaaty stated. “I am looking forward to collaborating with this stellar research team and to extending my previous work on refugee rights and policies through this project.”

The funding comes as part of a consolidator grant designed to support scientists with seven to 12 years of experience in establishing independent research teams. The European Research Council has allocated over $700 million to 328 researchers across Europe under the Horizon Europe program.

“This project will answer important questions about what types of laws can protect some of the most vulnerable people—refugees,” commented Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research at Maxwell School. “During a time of significant change to the international community, Professor Abdelaaty is helping to illuminate where refugees are safe, integrated and adding to their new home countries.”

Abdelaaty's previous work includes support from the Gerda Henkel Foundation for her book project "Refugees in Crisis." Her first book received awards from both the International Studies Association’s Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Studies section and the American Political Science Association’s Migration and Citizenship section.

At Maxwell School, she holds positions at several institutes including Campbell Public Affairs Institute and Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. She teaches courses related to refugees in international politics among other subjects.

Story by Michael Kelly