Despite a growing body of research on migration and development, the literature highlights the limited empirical evidence available on the effectiveness of migration programmes. The aid-spending departments of the UK government are in the process of identifying how UK aid contributes to tackling the “root causes of mass migration” and developing new, targeted programmes. A recent rapid review of the UK’s aid response to irregular migration in the central Mediterranean recognises that the body of research offers limited guidance on what works (ICAI, 2017). It calls for improved labelling of migration programmes, investment in monitoring and evaluation, and for the UK’s aid response to irregular migration to be informed by robust analysis (ibid).
