E.g., 06/06/2024
E.g., 06/06/2024
Jacob Townsend
MPI Authors

Jacob Townsend

Jacob Townsend is CEO of Farsight, a Brussels-based social enterprise with a focus on migration, conflict, and justice that specializes in monitoring and evaluation, program design, and research. He has worked for governments, international organizations, and private companies on different aspects of migration. He has led large research projects in South Asia and the Middle East with a focus on migrant decision-making. 

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Reports
May 2015
Before the Boat: Understanding the Migrant Journey
By  Jacob Townsend and Christel Oomen

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Reports
May 2015

Before the Boat: Understanding the Migrant Journey

The limited knowledge base on migrants' decision-making and assessment of risk on the journey to Europe, as well as incomplete understanding of the organizational structures and political economies of smuggling networks, are hampering an effective response to unprecedented Mediterranean maritime crossings. This report, drawing from interviews with migrants, examines migrants’ decision-making processes, perceptions of risk, and access to information.