Handbook for Qualitative Interviews on the Climate- Migration Nexus

The field of research investigating the linkages between climate change and human mobility is already substantial and burgeoning. Yet, results are often mixed or weak. There remains a lack of scholarly consensus on the impacts of climate change on migration, contributing to a gap between research and policy on the topic. Some researchers suggest that a reason for this is that current research is divided into two, parallel streams: one that seeks quantitative, future projections of ‘climate migrants’ or ‘climate refugees’, and one that seeks qualitative understanding of current migration dynamics through empirical case studies
(Gemenne, 2018). To date, research on climate change and human mobility phenomena is largely context- specific. Roughly one third of all publications in the field are qualitative field case studies, using primarily ethnographic methods (Piguet et al., 2018). This choice of method is often due to limited secondary data concerning the study area, necessitating the researcher or group of researchers to spend time in situ gaining insights into the social systems in which target groups are embedded. These approaches are logistically costly, time-intensive, and often disconnected from quantitative understandings of the wider populations at hand.
Moreover, context-specific findings from case studies are typically fragmented and have limited comparability across countries. With a few notable exceptions, inadequate attention has been placed in cross-country studies with shared research design (notable exceptions are the MECLEP and Where the Rain Falls projects, see: Melde et al., 2017; Warner & Afifi, 2014) and meta-analyses of findings across countries (Hoffmann et al., 2020, 2021). HABITABLE posits that taking qualitative and quantitative approaches in isolation of each other hampers progress because neither can provide a sufficiently comprehensive understanding of the climate-migration nexus. HABITABLE proposes a systemic approach to reconcile this divide, in part by using quantitative (Work Package 1) and qualitative methods (Work Packages 2, 4 and 5, which are developed collaboratively). Taken together, the project is designed to enable appropriate and sustainable policy responses to the climate-migration nexus (data from Work Package 4 will feed in Work Package 6, which aims to develop i.a. policy recommendations). This handbook for qualitative interviews intends to provide an overview of the qualitative interview methods to be used in the HABITABLE project. As with the other methods in the project, this handbook was developed in consultation with in-country research partners (hereafter “Country Leads”) to ensure local relevance and reduce logistical burdens. Moreover, this handbook serves as a guide for interviews to be implemented by each HABITABLE Country Lead. These tools are intended to be implemented in each case study country with a view to producing cross-country analysis with some level of comparability on the HABITABLE core research questions. This handbook is primarily a product of Work Package 4, which is focused on conducting in-depth and semi-structured interviews with targeted partners. Where possible, quantitative and qualitative data from other HABITABLE modules and secondary sources will be used to develop these methods and triangulate results. This handbook is intended to have a wider application for qualitative research on environment-migration linkages and can be a reference point for students, researchers, and practitioners.