International Migration最新文献

Millions of internally displaced people are living in their own countries in a temporary status called ‘protracted displacement’, a term not without its debates. We use a social network analysis database to assess how social interactions and demographic characteristics, including the relative location of resettlement, may contribute to IDP integration during the first 2 years of displacement. Our analysis of information from 57 internally displaced individuals in the aftermath of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, finds that networks of persistence, rather than survival or integration, characterize patterns of protracted displacement within 2 years of displacement. This suggests a need for rethinking the mainstream definitions to ensure vital resources are provided to displaced populations to promote timely integration.

The existing migration sociology literature predominantly explains migration decision-making through rational frameworks (socioeconomic factors), often influenced by Western (scientific) bias, neglecting other relevant subjective factors. By relying on data collected through interviews with 60 potential migrants in the Gambia, I go beyond these socioeconomic explanations and identify a key ideational factor – predestination thinking – as an important factor that influences migration decision-making, especially concerning the perception of risk associated with irregular migration among potential migrants. This article demonstrates how predestination thinking influences different aspects of potential migrants' decision-making, including the decision to embark on an irregular migration trajectory, risk assessment, and the nature of family support provided to a potential migrant. I argue that non-conventional, intangible factors such as predestination thinking cannot be neglected when explaining migration decision-making, especially in societies with embedded belief systems. This article contributes to a more nuanced and holistic understanding of migration decision-making beyond Western-centred perspectives.

This article discusses the promotion of policy coherence of migration and development policies that have figured high on the agenda of international organizations and the European Union but have been hardly explored in the context of Central and Eastern Europe. Based on in-depth interviews with 40 Czech experts on migration and development, we identified three key contradictions: (i) The increasing prominence of a security perspective on both migration and development policies and the lack of coherence between these policies in practice; (ii) The tension between the national and transnational perspectives guiding migration policymaking and development policies; and (iii) The lack of reflection on crucial issues, such as remittances and brain drain, in the dominant paradigm of labour migration. We argue that the findings on (in)coherence between Czech migration and development policies help us understand policy responses of Central and Eastern European governments since the 2015 ‘migration crisis’.

The objective of this paper is to explore the precariousness of immigrant labour through the concept of ‘deviant policies’. These policies are not explicitly intended to regulate the employment of foreigners, but they lead to the creation of uncertain zones of exploitation and vulnerability for immigrants. To achieve this aim, we conducted an ethnographic investigation of Brazilian immigrants with Irish study visas. The findings of our study indicate that the Irish study visa functions as a deviant policy that gives rise to precarious workers and a network of exploitation that encompasses everything from English language schools to unscrupulous employers.

What explains natives' attitudes towards immigrants in host countries? This paper argues that not only economic and cultural but also political threat perceptions influence attitude formation. Natives consider the political balance of power and calculate the potential political benefits of admitting immigrants. This is because expected in-party members will affect the balance of power in their favour. Leveraging a conjoint experiment in the United States, this study explores whether an immigrant's expected party affiliation shapes native attitudes. The findings indicate that immigrants with defined party affiliations are favoured compared to non-affiliated ones. Moreover, respondents favoured immigrants perceived as political allies and penalized those seen as rivals. Expected party affiliation is even a strong predictor of attitudes for natives with existing anti-immigrant attitudes as they curbed their negativities and favoured certain party identities. Overall, results suggest the pivotal role of political considerations as well as the importance of studying unexplored factors in attitude formation on immigration.

This paper explores the issue of creation of migrant networks in different contexts along the Eastern Mediterranean route and the Balkans. Drawing on 27 qualitative interviews and ethnographic fieldwork, it uncovers the information about migration journeys and the ways how social capital is transferred among migrants. The paper sheds light on the role of social networks, their influence on strategies, behaviour patterns and resource allocation during migration. The findings underscore different benefits of using migrant networks, highlighting their role in providing crucial support as well as increasing safety and supporting migrants' well-being. Moreover, the shared identity forged through these networks enhances migrants' resilience, empowering migrants to navigate challenges more effectively. These empirical findings challenge the narratives of migration being individualistic and contribute to the literature on creation, dynamics, and benefits of networks of irregular transit migration, highlighting the differences from other migrant networks.