Karen Liao

Senior Researcher

Research Interests

Migration and im/mobilities, labor migration governance, migration and development, social and cultural geography, Asia, the Philippines

Karen Liao
This profile contains centre-specific content. View the full profile at PRIO.org.

News & events
Publications
Blog posts
Audio & video

PRIO Paper

2024

Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Mumbai

PRIO Paper

News

Wednesday, 25 Sep 2024

A busy street in the City of Manila. Photo: Karen Liao

Call for Papers: Theorizing Migration and Social Mobility in Asia and Beyond

Focusing on the Asian context, we seek to explore the interactions between multiple forms of migrations and processes of social mobility, whether upward, downward, or sideways. The Call for Papers is open till 15 October 2024.

Journal article

2024

The Grey Window of Temporary Reintegration: The Involuntary Return and Crisis-Induced Immobility of Filipino Migrant Workers

Journal article in International Migration Review

PRIO Paper

2024

Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Metro Manila

PRIO Paper

Journal article

2023

Assembling exits and returns: The extraterritorial production of repatriation for Filipino migrant workers

Journal article in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

Journal article

2023

Infrastructuring repatriation: The Philippine sending state and the return of migrant workers caught in disruptions

Journal article in International Migration

Recorded event

Friday, 11 Nov 2022 08:30–10:00 UTC+01

Presenting on stage: Professor Jonathan Rigg. Photo: PRIO / Angelica Estevez

01:18:09

It Depends: Unpicking the Development Impacts of Migration in Asia

Welcome to a seminar on development impacts of migration in Asia, and how we can make sense of them, with professor Jonathan Rigg (University of Bristol).

PRIO Paper

2024

Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Karachi

PRIO Paper

PRIO Paper

2024

Middle Classes, Moving and Staying in Hanoi

PRIO Paper

Recorded event

Tuesday, 21 May 2024 16:30–18:30 UTC+02

01:44:48

Becoming Middle Class in Metro Manila: Does Migration Matter?

Asian cities, such as Metro Manila, are witnessing a rise in middle class populations amid rapid urbanization. What do residents think about being and becoming middle class?

PRIO Blogs

Thursday, 7 Mar 2024

Facing Imbalances in Global Knowledge Co-creation

Global South-North asymmetries, or imbalances, in resources and access to mobility are often pervasive in international research, including research on peace, conflict, migration and development. Research projects can be experienced as extractive in many contexts around the world. This means that the research process feels like it is taking something ...

Recorded event

Friday, 10 Nov 2023 08:30–10:00 UTC+01

Hanoi, Vietnam. July, 2023. Photo: Karen Liao

01:30:20

Rethinking Development Through Global Urban Middle Classes

In this seminar we draw on examples from cities in Africa and Asia to discuss how these emerging realities challenge current notions of ‘development’.

News

Tuesday, 13 Dec 2022

Presenting: Professor Jonathan Rigg. Photo: PRIO / Angelica Estevez

Recording available! 'It depends: Unpicking the Development Impacts of Migration in Asia'

In this talk given at PRIO on 11 November 2022, Jonathan Rigg draws on work across rural areas of Southeast Asia (Thailand, Laos and Vietnam) and South Asia (Sri Lanka and Nepal), and sheds light on the mixed developmental origins, effects and impacts of migration on people, communities and environments.

Current projects

Project

May 2021 – Apr 2026

Migration Rhythms in Trajectories of Upward Social Mobility in Asia

Led by Marta Bivand Erdal. Funder: European Research Council.

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