Migration Policy and Narratives of Societal Steering
Migration Policy and Narratives of Societal Steering
An ESRC Seminar Series, organised by the School of Social and Political Studies, University of Edinburgh, and the Department of Politics, University of Sheffield, November 2007 – September 2008
Researchers at Edinburgh and Sheffield Universities have been awarded an ESRC grant to host a series of workshops exploring narratives of societal steering in migration policy. The seminars will examine the norms and beliefs espoused by policy-makers about the societal impacts of their policy interventions. They will bring together policy-makers, practitioners and researchers from Europe and North America to analyse and interpret different narratives of societal steering in three areas: migration control, immigrant integration, and relations with countries of origin/transit. Of particular interest is how policy makers absorb and apply knowledge produced at different sites (in the administration, research, voluntary sector or media) to develop narratives about the impacts of their policies on processes of migration control and socio-cultural integration.
This question has become highly topical, as European states have acknowledged certain unintended consequences of their policy interventions in the area of migration. Thus temporary labour migration programmes are recognised to have led to permanent settlement, or generated `chain´ migration outside of regular programmes; restrictive entry policies have encouraged dangerous practices of migrant smuggling and trafficking; while policies to promote integration are considered to have failed to encourage identification with host society norms. Yet despite a widespread recognition of policy failure, there has been very little research systematically exploring different narratives about the societal impacts of policy interventions. How do officials develop and apply their beliefs about interventions to steer the behaviour of immigrants and asylum-seekers? How far are they influenced by expert knowledge emanating from researchers or the policy community, as opposed to more populist beliefs as propounded by the mass media and party politics? How do they evaluate the impacts of their interventions on policy outcomes, and do such exercises result in an adjustment of relevant beliefs?
Seminar Themes
The series will consist of three one-day seminars and one two-day seminar, each with around 25 participants, exploring the following themes.
(1) Narratives of societal steering on migration control. November 2007, University of Edinburgh.
This seminar will examine narratives about the impact of legislation on the decision-making of (potential) asylum-seekers and irregular migrants. Of particular interest are beliefs about the impact of asylum legislation on asylum-seekers´ choice of country; the impact of border control on irregular migration, migrant smuggling and trafficking; and how constraints on access to employment and social services influence the behaviour of irregular migrants.
(2) Narratives of societal steering to promote integration and inclusion. March 2008, University of Sheffield.
This seminar will explore beliefs about how state interventions influence acculturation and the internalisation of host society norms on the part of immigrants and ethnic minority groups. It will focus on recent UK and European policies to make naturalization conditional on language or citizenship tests; as well as policies to prevent radicalization within the Muslim community.
(3) Narratives of migration control and cooperation with countries of origin/transit (co-organised with the University of Sussex). July 2008, University of Sussex.
This seminar will analyse prevalent beliefs about the relationship between migration and development in countries of origin and transit. It will explore theories about the developmental impacts of emigration, the impact of migration control mechanisms such as readmission agreements and capacity-building on migration flows, and attempts to alleviate migratory pressures through development cooperation.
(4) Conclusions and theoretical approaches. University of Edinburgh, September 2008.
A fourth seminar will bring together a selection of participants from the three thematic seminars, to draw out common themes and prepare a joint publication.
Output and Dissemination
• Papers presented at the conference will be disseminated online via University of Edinburgh and Sheffield websites.
• A selection of papers presented at the seminar will be published in an edited volume and/or special issue of a refereed journal.
For more information, contact Dr. Christina Boswell, email: Christina.boswell@ed.ac.uk