Michael Ewers
Associate Professor
Environmental and Geographical Sciences
Research and Teaching Interests Dr. Ewers is a human geographer and interdisciplinary social scientist. His research and creative scholarly work focus on three areas: 1) migration and globalization, 2) worker welfare and inequality, and 3) human capital and sustainable economic development. His overall goal is to understand who moves where and why in a global context; how individuals and groups experience and navigate migration and work differently across space; and how places create human capital for sustainable economic development. His teaching and research interests are integrally linked, emphasizing global trends and particular expertise in the Middle East region.
Education
PhD (2010) Geography, The Ohio State University
MA (2005) Geography, The Ohio State University
Recent Publications
Ewers M , C Brannstrom & C Conrecode. 2025, in press . What are the emerging contours of regional industrial decarbonization? Evidence from a rapid analysis of US clean hydrogen hubs. Geoforum Ewers M & B Shockley. 2023. Graduate migration, partisanship, and city preferences: An experimental approach to place consonant migration decisions. Population, Place and Space . Ewers M , A Diop, N Duma* & K Le. 2023. Beyond vulnerability: Migrant worker views on rights and wellbeing in the Gulf Arab States. Comparative Migration Studies 11(20).Ewers M & J Kangmennaang. 2023. New spaces of inequality with the rise of remote work: Autonomy, technostress, and life disruption. Applied Geography 152. Ewers M , A Diop, K Le & L Bader. 2023. Resilience and sustainability in the Gulf migration regimes: Kafāla in the era of Covid-19. Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies 21(1): 28-44. Brannstrom, C, M Ewers & P Schwarz. 2022. Will peak talent arrive before peak oil or peak demand? Energy Research & Social Science 93. Ewers M , N Khattab, Z Babar & M Madeeha. 2022. Skilled migration to emerging economies: The global competition for talent beyond the West. Globalizations 19 (2), 268-284Ewers M, J Gengler & B Shockley. 2021. Bargaining power: A framework for understanding varieties of migration experience. International Migration Review 55(4): 1121-1151. Dicce R & M Ewers. 2021. Solar labor market transitions in the United Arab Emirates. Geoforum 124: 55-64. Poon J, Y Chow, M Ewers & T Hamilton. 2021. Executives’ observance of zakat among Islamic financial institutions: Evidence from Bahrain and Malaysia. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research 12(4): 509-523. Gengler J, B Shockley & M Ewers. 2021. Refinancing the rentier state: Welfare, inequality, and citizen preferences toward fiscal reform in the Gulf oil monarchies. Comparative Politics 53: 283-317. Ewers M, A Diop, K Le & L Bader. 2020. Migrant worker well-being and its determinants: The case of Qatar. Social Indicators Research 152: 137-163. Dicce R, M Ewers, J Poon, Y Chow. 2020. A tale of two pillars: Emergent geographies of Islamic finance in Bahrain and Kuala Lumpur. Arab World Geographer 23(2-3): 89-111 Khattab N, Z Babar, M Ewers & M Shaath. 2020. Gender and mobility. Qatar’s highly skilled female migrants in context. Migration and Development 9: 369-389. Poon, J, Y Chow, M Ewers & R Ramli. 2020. The role of skills in Islamic financial innovation: Evidence from Bahrain and Malaysia. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity 6: 47 Dicce R & M Ewers. 2020. Becoming Linked In: Leveraging professional networks for elite surveys and interviews. Geographical Review 110: 160-171. Diop A, S Al-Ali Mustapha, M Ewers & K Le. 2020. Welfare Index of Migrant Workers in the Gulf: the Case of Qatar. International Migration 58: 140-153