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Does Policy Matter? On Governments’ Attempts to Control Unwanted Migration

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  • Eiko R. Thielemann

Abstract

Public policy making on asylum takes place in an environment of intense public scrutiny, strong institutional constraints and international collective action problems. By assessing the relative importance of key pull factors of international migration, this article explains why, even when controlling for their differences in size, some states receive a much larger number of asylum seekers than others. The analysis of 20 OECD countries for the period 1985-1999 further shows that some of the most high profile public policy measures—safe third country provisions, dispersal and voucher schemes—aimed, at least in part, at deterring unwanted migration and at addressing the highly unequal distribution of asylum burdens have often been ineffective. This is because the key determinants of an asylum seeker’s choice of host country are historical, economic and reputational factors that largely lie beyond the reach of asylum policy makers. Finally, the paper argues that the effectiveness of unilateral policy measures will be further undermined by multilateral attempts to harmonise restrictive policies and that current efforts such as those by the European Union will consolidate, rather than effectively address, existing disparities in the distribution of asylum burdens.

Suggested Citation

  • Eiko R. Thielemann, 2003. "Does Policy Matter? On Governments’ Attempts to Control Unwanted Migration," The Institute for International Integration Studies Discussion Paper Series iiisdp09, IIIS.
  • Handle: RePEc:iis:dispap:iiisdp09
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Todaro, Michael P, 1969. "A Model for Labor Migration and Urban Unemployment in Less Developed Countries," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 59(1), pages 138-148, March.
    2. Beck, Nathaniel & Katz, Jonathan N., 1995. "What To Do (and Not to Do) with Time-Series Cross-Section Data," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 89(3), pages 634-647, September.
    3. Pierson, Paul, 2000. "Increasing Returns, Path Dependence, and the Study of Politics," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 94(2), pages 251-267, June.
    4. Harris, John R & Todaro, Michael P, 1970. "Migration, Unemployment & Development: A Two-Sector Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 60(1), pages 126-142, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Neumayer, 2004. "Asylum Destination Choice," European Union Politics, , vol. 5(2), pages 155-180, June.
    2. Dimiter Doychinov Toshkov, 2014. "The dynamic relationship between asylum applications and recognition rates in Europe (1987–2010)," European Union Politics, , vol. 15(2), pages 192-214, June.
    3. Helbling, Marc & Bjerre, Liv & Römer, Friederike & Zobel, Malisa, 2017. "Measuring immigration policies: the IMPIC database," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 16(1), pages 79-98.
    4. Schmid, Samuel D. & Helbling, Marc, 2016. "Validating the Immigration Policies in Comparison (IMPIC) dataset," Discussion Papers, various Research Units SP VI 2016-202, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    5. Berger, Valentin & Bjerre, Liv & Breyer, Magdalena & Helbling, Marc & Römer, Friederike & Zobel, Malisa, 2024. "The Immigration Policies in Comparison (IMPIC) Dataset: Technical Report V2," Discussion Papers, various Research Units SP VI 2016-201r, WZB Berlin Social Science Center, revised 2024.
    6. Bjerre, Liv & Helbling, Marc & Römer, Friederike & Zobel, Malisa Zora, 2016. "The Immigration Policies in Comparison (IMPIC) Dataset: Technical Report," Discussion Papers, various Research Units SP VI 2016-201, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    7. Issifou,Ismael, 2020. "Understanding Decisions Made on Asylum Applications in Host Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9153, The World Bank.

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