PhD defence
Gil Thompson defended his doctoral thesis Socialisation into European professional and political communities: An ethnographic study of seconded national experts deployed by EASO and Frontex to the Lesvos migration hotspot on 8 October 2021.
Current position
Legislative Assistant,
PhD project
In the context of increased irregular migration, the European Union has been facilitating the secondment/deployment of police, asylum, and other practitioners from their home countries to support national migration management efforts, primarily in Greece, Italy, and Spain. This research focuses on these seconded nationals, asking two questions: (1) how are these secondment schemes perceived by the seconded practitioners and; (2) what do seconded practitioners learn during these secondments. This research is relevant to scholarship on migration hotspots, European identity, and street-level bureaucrats. Methods used are primarily interviews, participant observation, document analysis, and survey research.
- Supervisor: Markus Jachtenfuchs, Berlin Graduate School for Transnational Studies
- Co-supervisor: Geoffrey Edwards, POLIS, University of Cambridge
Secondment
- Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), Brussels
Background
Outside of academia, I have 5 years of professional experience supporting law enforcement, policy makers, and other organisations. I have also lived for at least a year each in Germany, Israel, Switzerland, the UK, and the US. This background helps me build relationships with varied research subjects and understand their unique perceptions of themselves and society. Nationality: American and Israeli.
- MA in Comparative and International Studies, ETH Zürich and University of Zurich
- BA in Political Science and Philosophy, St Olaf College
News
Publications
-
Embracing a piecemeal approach in intergovernmental negotiation: the case of Med-5 and the new European Asylum Support Office
Accepting half a loaf in international negotiations is always difficult. This has been especially notable in European debates over refugee policy, in which different countries have divergent interests and a mutually agreeable consensus is hard to form. However, recent developments suggest a thaw, Gil Thompson argues, with Mediterranean countries taking a pragmatic approach that could allow for real progress.
Post-Crisis Democracy in Europe blog, 27 July 2021
-
European disunity and the need for political leadership in migration management
The EU lacks effective tools for managing its border and asylum regimes. Gil Thompson suggests this could be improved by putting people in charge who understand the politics behind the problem. Both Frontex and EASO need to be managed by people with proven political experience.
Presentations
-
PLATO kick-off conference
PLATO's kick-off conference brings together the project's partners in Oslo for academic discussions and networking.
-
Radu-Mihai Triculescu and Gil Thompson discussed their work at CEPS
CEPS organised an online meeting where PLATO visiting fellows Gil Thompson and Radu-Mihai Triculescu discussed their work with academics and practitioners in the field of Justice and Home Affairs.
-
Gil Thompson on the limits of politicised national identity
On 26 February 2019, Gil Thompson presents his work as part of the Graduate Migration Research Seminar Series at the University of Cambridge.
-
European Centre Seminar with Ivana Skazlic and Gil Thompson
Ivana Skazlic and Gil Thompson both present their work as part of the European Centre Seminars at the University of Cambridge on 7 March 2019.
-
EU legitimacy, socialisation and corruption at the International Conference of Europeanists
Three PLATO PhDs will present papers at the 26th International Conference of Europeanists in Madrid, 20-22 June 2019, the world’s largest annual gathering of Europe experts.
