Person of the Month in January 2005:
		"The PhD networks allows PhD candidates to establish links with other people in the NCCR North-South."
		Susan Thieme (PhD student, IP6)

Susan, you have almost completed your PhD in IP6. Are you happy to finish?
Of course! - I am happy! I enjoyed having this long period of three and half years to work in detail on a topic, but I am also very much looking forward to finishing it. I think it’s time to change the focus a bit or to start something new. However, I still have some months to go: my examinations are planned for April/May 2005.

Would you do it again?
Definitely.
There are several reasons. I like my topic (migration) and I enjoyed having this long period of time to work on one topic. Because I never worked in Nepal and India before I started my PhD, I also got to know two “unknown” countries a little bit better - and a large number of very interesting people as well.
Additionally, I think the NCCR N-S provides a good framework for doing research. I do not know many PhD candidates (outside the NCCR N-S) who receive so much institutional and financial support to carry out their research: I went to Delhi for fieldwork as often as I needed, I attended several international conferences; I extended my research with Masters’-level students, and implemented a PAMS. In addition, the ITC, taking place every year, as a platform to meet and discuss, was very helpful for the exchange of knowledge. The internationality and the broad spectrum of topics addressed within the NCCR N-S are very interesting and inspiring.

What is your research about?
It is about labour migration from far west Nepal to Delhi, India and the impact of migration on people's livelihoods. Because mainly men migrate, I originally planned a study about migrants in Delhi, as well as about their family members who remain in Nepal. Due to political instability in Nepal, I could only carry out my research in Delhi, which I still think is a great pity. I looked at the reasons for migration, the socio- economic conditions of migrants’ everyday life in Delhi, and especially at the networks among migrants and how they keep up links with their families in Nepal.

What was your motivation for starting a study on this topic? – Why in the NCCR?
Why a PhD? Well, I enjoyed the year of my Masters’ thesis (at the University of Potsdam/Germany), where I also did a lot of fieldwork in Malaysia. It was clear to me that I would like to stick with research. I think a PhD is one of the rare possibilities where you have about three years’ time to fully elaborate on only one topic. I did several internships (also in Asia) while working on my Masters’ degree and the year after. And when I once worked for a development agency, I was surprised how little time people had to really elaborate on a topic. Also, I wanted to teach and therefore I decided to go back to University. Apart from all these considerations, a PhD degree not only seems an important qualification to me if you want to stay in research, but also for many other non-research positions.

Why my topic? My supervisors, Prof. Ulrike Müller-Böker and Dr. Michael Kollmair, had already done research in far west Nepal before. Their surveys showed that a high number of men are in India, especially Delhi, seeking work. We all found that fact very interesting, and since there is only very little research about migration from that region, the idea was born: I would go to Delhi and work on the question of migration.

And why the NCCR? Actually, I came to the University of Zurich for a teaching and research assistant position. That was in August 2001. The NCCR was starting up at the same time, and so I became part of it, which was, looking back, a perfect “co-incidence”. I think I was the first PhD candidate to submit a proposal.

What would you say are the key findings of your research? Can you tell us your key messages?
1) Due to great socio-economic and gender disparities, migration is a major livelihood strategy for many people in Nepal, and it is mainly practised by men.

2) Migration is highly organised. Kin-based networks are the major entry point for migrants to find jobs and shelter in Delhi. These networks are not the same for everyone, and are very much contested.

3) Migration is primarily an opportunity for migrants and their families, but it can also perpetuate debt and dependency.

4) Many migrants live "on the edge". They are vulnerable to sudden economic and political change. There is only a small step between the ability to survive and sudden loss of the ability to do so.

5) For the majority of migrants in Delhi, power relations change to a certain extent within their group with regard to caste and gender. However, as the majority does not acquire new skills and remains within their village-based networks, this appears as a further manifestation of their marginality.

In what way do these findings contribute to ‘syndrome mitigation’, the main goal of NCCR North-South research?
I see my study as a contribution to better understanding of the complexity of rural livelihoods, showing that people do not rely on agriculture alone. Additionally, the migration patterns show that people in urban and rural areas and people in different countries are deeply interlinked in economic and social terms. This should be considered in policy recommendations and policy implementation!
An important part of my research was the implementation of certain results in a PAMS in Delhi. Doing a PAMS is an interesting way of putting scientific research into practice and using the knowledge gained from such application for further research.

You launched a PAMS? What was it about?
Yes, there is one and it even got extended to the second phase of the NCCR!
It is being carried out by an NGO in Delhi (South Asia Study Centre). The main objective of the project is to strengthen the human capital of Far West Nepalese labour migrants in Delhi. It includes making the migrants literate and aware of their labour rights, as well as of critical health issues. (more about this PAMS.)
Due to the political upheaval in Nepal, many international donor offices closed down. As I said, the IP6-research team was not able to go to the Far Western Development Region. Therefore the PAMS in Delhi is an important means for us to keep in contact with people from that region and stay at least partly updated on their livelihoods and destiny.

In your opinion, what would be the best form of co-operation between the North and the South to achieve NCCR goals?
I think you could fill books answering that question! To make just three comments:

1) I think implementation of PAMS is a good form of co-operation because here we can show that research can be applied and bring benefits to people. The PAMS experience also helps to widen our knowledge and our skills in doing research among socially and economic marginalized people.

2) Another important point is the frequent knowledge transfer and exchange between all researchers within the NCCR N-S. As the majority of the Swiss researchers are doing research in the South, I would find it very inspiring to do research with a group of researchers from the North and the South – a study on a development issue that is relevant in the South, but in the North as well. For example, it would be very interesting to compare urban poverty in India with urban poverty in Switzerland and India. This brings me to a third important point.

3) The results of these studies should not only be recognised (and even better applied) in the South but also in the North! And not only by development agencies that work in the South, but also by policymakers in the North. For example, many people believe international migration to be a clear answer to economic and political hardship – this although migrants and their families have quite a number of negative experiences when abroad. Also, many countries depend on migrants due to their own nation’s ageing population or lack of a labour force in certain sectors. If you look at policies worldwide, or hear public discourse in general, migration is usually seen as a problem! I just think national and international policies should reflect the contribution of migration to sustainable development. The rights of migrants must be explicitly protected.

Besides being a PhD candidate, you have also been a member of the Education & Training team within the NCCR North-South. What function does the ‘education committee’ have, and what are the goals of the education team?
Education and Training is an important aspect within the NCCR, and a key element is the Integrated Training Course (ITC), which has so far been held annually. In the ‘edu-team’, representatives of the IPs and the management centre meet and organise the ITC.

What advice – from your personal experience – would you give a PhD student in the NCCR starting his or her project?
I think it is most important that you are curious and are really convinced about the significance of your topic.
Apart from this, one should establish links with other people in the NCCR – for example, through the PhD network (contact: see below) – and outside the NCCR, for instance, by organising “reading groups” or peer mentoring.
Also, it is important to raise questions. As a “newcomer” it takes a while to understand the complex structure of the NCCR N-S.
Last but not least: at the beginning of a PhD-level study, one often has to adapt to a new working environment such as the institute and the team. You have to devise a research concept and formulate other things as well. It helps a lot to seek advice from time to time, from people who have already advanced in their research – but just as important I think is the exchange with people who are in the same position as yourself.

How did you best relax during stressful phases of your research?
I experienced stress very differently during my research, depending whether I was: in Zurich or doing fieldwork in Delhi.
Writing a thesis is a very concentrated work. When in Zurich, I always relaxed best when doing my favourite sports: tap-dancing or jogging. Apart from sports, I love painting and interior design. I’ve just painted my kitchen – all in orange! :-). And I enjoy inviting friends to cook and have good wine and a chat together.
Fieldwork in Delhi is very different. Due to its population density, Delhi has pollution and heavy traffic, and is very demanding in a physical sense. But the work was very interesting. Simply being back in the comparatively clean environment of Zurich reduces the physical stress drastically. However, when I am in Delhi, I enjoy spending evenings with friends from there, or with the family of my interpreter where we always enjoy excellent food.

What are your plans after you complete work on your PhD?
In the short term: a big party! And I definitely want to go on holiday for at least three weeks! Where? Well, I originally wanted to go to Malaysia, but it could also be somewhere in Latin America. I don’t know yet for sure.
And after that I want to keep on doing migration research as a post-doc. Maybe in the NCCR North-South, who knows – but I think I would like that best!

Thank you very much, Susan, for this interview! Good luck and bon courage in fulfilling your dreams and plans!

Interview by Barbara Schichler, December 2004