نشریه سیاست نامه علم و فناوری
سال دوازدهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 41، زمستان 1401)

In recent years, recruiting international students has become a strategic issue. International students have social, economic, political, cultural, and scientific benefits, and they improve the quality of higher education. Leading countries create the conditions for attracting and retaining students and talent by aligning and cohering policies, increasing actors, and establishing institutions. "Recruitment agencies" are one of these players. These agencies have a large network in various countries and are familiar with the higher education systems of the destination countries, providing useful information to future students and assisting them in selecting the appropriate university. They also assist the university in attracting qualified applicants. While increasing international student recruitment is the goal of higher education in Iran, the capacity of institutions for recruiting students has been underutilized, and their activity has been fraught with difficulties. This research aimed to identify the challenges of recruitment agency activities in Iran. Using the "thematic analysis" method, we discovered twelve challenges categorized into four categories: structural challenges (lack of appropriate policies and laws; lack of sufficient actors; multiple decision makers); contextual challenges (economic, cultural, and social); procedural challenges (incorrect executive procedures; incompetence of executive actors; misconduct and corruption in recruitment processes); and also content challenges (linguistic barriers; limited and low-quality educational programs; limited international cooperation). Finally, solutions and policy recommendations for better utilizing the recruiting institutions' capacities were presented.

The labour market for professional skilled personnel is becoming increasingly global, both in terms of the supply of and the demand for skilled labour. By identifying the factors affecting the migration of skilled workforce, governments can plan to reduce their desire to migrate. Thus, in this study, we have identified the factors that influence migration decision of professors, researchers and startup activists by using data collected through the questionnaire and logit model. The results of the study show that by controlling individual characteristics, professors and researchers migrate because of the social status and preferred lifestyle and startup activists migrate because of the accessing to the latest innovation and technology developments.

Returnees can help reduce the negative effects of migration and develop the origin countries. This research investigates the effect of internal and external determinants on the return of Iranian migrants using mixed method. The analysis of the fluctuations of return frequency, return decision, and return drivers among Iranians during the years 2013 to 2020, indicate that "family" and "patriotism" are the most important internal factors influencing the return flow to the country. Meanwhile, the return flow of Iranians (including the voluntary return of Iranian professionals and assisted voluntary return and reintegration of Iranians) has undergone two significant turning points influenced by external determinants. Firstly, the return frequency increased in 2016 due to the nuclear agreement between Iran and G5, and the expectation of the removal of sanctions, which led to the improvement of the country's political and economic prospects. Second, during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, while the return frequency of Iranian professionals increased significantly due to dissatisfaction with the conditions in the host country, the assisted voluntary return of Iranian migrants indicate a downward trend.

The potential migration of millions of people due to adverse impacts of climate change is one of the most important issues for governments and policy makers. In this regard, there are various divergent views in the theoretical approach to climate- induced migration: Some scholars believe that migration indicates a failure to adapt to climate change. On the other hand, other scholars believe that migration can be used as a preventive strategy to deal with climate change. By using descriptive-analytical research method, in this study, we attempt to investigate various divergent views in climate migration theories by focusing on the maximalist and minimalist approaches. In addition, we present different climate adaptation strategies taken by policy makers in order to combat adverse consequence of climate changes in other countries. Finally, we analyze various evidences of climate- related movements in Iran and the policies and strategies has been taken by the government regarding to climate adaptation. In general, considering migration as an adaptation or maladaptation strategies creates many challenges for planners and policy makers, which can be controlled through precise strategies. In this regard, policy makers should apply strategies that strengthen the ability of actors to adapt to adverse impacts of climate change.

Climate-related disasters triggered displacements of millions of people worldwide. In addition to displacement, the negative consequences of climate change have caused water scarcity, food insecurity, and many other issues such as conflict and political insecurity. Building resilient communities is a key adaptation strategy to combat the impacts of climate change and rely on adaptation policies. Thus, to better withstand the negative impacts of such shocks and recover quickly and strongly from them, countries adopt policies to reduce the vulnerability of individuals and societies. In this paper, the concepts, principles, and perspectives on climate resilience were presented with a descriptive-analytic approach. Then, the experience of various countries, including Iran, on climate resilience by applying indigenous knowledge and technologies to build climate resilience was analyzed. Examining the experiences of different countries shows that some countries have been able to make their societies resilient based on indigenous knowledge and available facilities, while others have been able to invest in education, citizen participation, and infrastructure enhancement. In addition, with the support of the government and private organizations, by applying technology such as early warning systems and artificial intelligence, and relying on self-organization and economic diversity many people have been able to make their living environment resilient and not migrate from their homes. The review shows that Iran's regional experiments on the climate resilience of societies have long been based on indigenous knowledge and that the use of modern technology is not widely used because of poor knowledge of people, high costs, and lack of easy access. Therefore, in order to make the various regions of Iran more resilient, to raise society's awareness of environmental hazards, strengthen infrastructure, integrate indigenous knowledge with technology, and provide resilience policies according to the characteristics of each region reinforce the applied knowledge aspect and experience needed with the technology.

The right to seek asylum is an inevitable right of every asylum seeker under international instruments, including the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. This right includes the duty and responsibility of the receiving States to consider the request and determine the status of asylums. Since the Convention has not specified how this right should be granted and has made it an internal power of States, this matter is affected by States' policies. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has developed a Refugee System Determination (RSD) to identify the situation of these asylums. However, parties to the Convention are not legally binding to follow this system. As one of the most crucial host countries to asylum seekers, Iran has a council for determining the refugees' status, a census system, and a temporary residence permit (Amayesh card). Since the enjoyment of any assistance depends on individuals' legal and residential status, it is essential to assess the situation of more than half a million new arrivals right after the Taliban takeover. Based on relevant legal instruments, this study will evaluate the legal framework of refugee law in Iran through a qualitative research method based on a literature review and discuss the necessity of RSD policymaking. The findings suggest that the lack of adequate laws and accumulation of regulations in the executive bodies have complicated these migrants' current and future conditions. Moreover, not issuing an Amayesh card for newcomers and undocumented migrants is one of the most critical challenges of the current system. Evolution in this system determines the status of many migrants and decreases the additional burden due to the presence of undocumented migrants. This will also maximize the protection of refugees' and migrants' rights.