ISS and the "Count us in" research project
- Melanie Escano
- May 28, 2015
- 2 min read
[Editor's note: The International Institute of Social Science (ISS) is the renowned international graduate school of policy-oriented critical social science in The Hague. Prof. Helen Hintjens has involved three members of the LSE Secretariat and alumni of LSE 21, Joy Escano, Jacob Apostol, and Bing Molabin in "Count Us In", a research project on the health issues and the right to health of undocumented migrants in the Netherlands. She recognized the value and relevance of the LSE program and agreed to be a partner. Thanks to Prof. Hintjens, we have the perfect venue for the LSE sessions: the conducive to critical learning classroom of the ISS. ]
Probably, some LSE students might find the phrase “Count Us In” a bit puzzling when they first heard it last March 1, 2015 at the Opening Ceremonies for LSE batch 29 at ISS. Since I am one of the peer researchers involved in “Count Us In” research project, let me give some ideas of what that phrase means.
“Count Us In: Towards Realising Health Rights among Undocumented People in Two Dutch Global Cities" is a research project of a team of four faculty members, namely:
Helen Hintjens, ISS (Coordination, research design, data analysis & dissemination, upscaling)
Karin Astrid Siegmann, ISS (Research design, data analysis & dissemination, upscaling)
Richard Staring, Erasmus School of Law (Research design, data analysis & dissemination)
Ellen Mitchell, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation ( Qualitative & quantitative social research, epidemiology)
This project is unique and empowering because it has employed an unconventional method called “peer technique” in conducting interviews with undocumented migrants to generate more valid information that can help to understand their real health situation in two big cities in the Netherlands: The Hague and Rotterdam.
The project started in 2013 with two-day training workshop for irregular migrants involved in interviewing. The main focus of the project is on health needs and obstacles faced by undocumented women and men in The Hague and Rotterdam in accessing healthcare. The main objectives of the research are:
To get an overview of undocumented women and men’s basic health needs, their health-seeking behaviour and obstacle to realising healthcare in The Hague and Rotterdam:
To identify good practices in health governance in Dutch cities;
To provide useful information to improve health and contribute to improved health governance.
Existing studies on health care of the undocumented “…are few and tend to be based on the views of professional healthcare providers.” In researching “invisibility”, adopting a participatory research method such as the “peer technique” allows the research “…to take the perspectives and experiences of undocumented migrants as the starting point for the study.”
In light of the larger issue of global health injustices, and large information gap on the real health status, needs, and behaviour of undocumented men and women in the Netherlands, the ‘Count us In’ research project is a powerful way to make the invisible visible.
To get more ideas on health inequalities in Dutch global cities, read this extended abstract on the research.
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