Dr Melissa Weihmayer
About
Dr Melissa Weihmayer studies the governance of international and internal forced migration in diverse contexts. Her research examines migration challenges in cities, most recently focusing on how local authorities develop responses to asylum in London. She is interested in the governance processes and practices that shape decisions on migration responses at the local level, including capacity-building initiatives, innovation, the use of evidence and coalition-building and partnerships. In addition to multi-year engagement with London local authorities responding to asylum through the Asylum Welcome programme, Dr Weihmayer developed in-depth research projects on the multilevel governance of Colombia’s state responses to internal displacement and the building of local social contracts in displacement-affected eastern Ukraine.
Expertise
- Local government and migration
- Migrant integration and inclusion
- Migration policymaking
- Research and politics of internal displacement
- Capacity-building processes within local government
- Public sector innovation
- Refugee resettlement in the UK
- Asylum accommodation in the UK
Selected publications
- Proactive local government: How London borough councils build capacity to respond to asylum (Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space, 2026)
- How London’s local councils build proactive responses to asylum (Policy Brief, LSE, 2024)
- Analysing the local governance of internal displacement: an emerging (local) social contract in eastern Ukraine since 2014 (Environment & Urbanization, 2024)
- Multilevel governance ‘from above’: Analysing Colombia’s system of co-responsibility for responding to internal displacement (Journal of Refugee Studies, 2023)
Media experience
Dr Melissa Weihmayer has experience being interviewed for podcasts (see below) and public discussions including 'How can local authorities navigate changing national policies while building a more strategic, long-term approach to asylum integration?' Greater London Authority Asylum Welcome Toolkit launch event (London City Hall, 2024).
Podcast interviews
How to build capacity: Asylum Design Labs for London Councils, Episode 36, Displacement Urbanism Podcast Series, London School of Economics Department of Geography and Environment (2025).
What does ‘internal displacement’ mean for cities? Progressing Planning Podcast Series, LSE London (2022).
Languages
English (native). Also proficient in French, German, Spanish