Migration Governance and Asylum Crises, Work Package "Comparing Crises" (MAGYC)

Migration Governance and Asylum Crises, Work Package "Comparing Crises" (MAGYC)

This project explores how European migration policies are influenced by political crises triggered by (forced) migration. At a time when such policies are heavily contested across European member-states, and when asylum seems more threatened than ever, this project is critically important to improve our understanding of how migration policies are formulated and shaped by a context of crisis. The project gathers 13 partners from diverse European countries, as well as from Lebanon and Turkey, and GIGA leads the Work Package “Comparing Crises”.
EC, Horizon 2020, 2018-2023

Team

Dr. André Bank

Senior Research Fellow

Dr. Nicole Hirt

Associate

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate

Cooperation Partners

The Hugo Observatory, University of Liège German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA)Sciences Po - Paris Institute of Political Studies (FNSP)University of Economics in Bratislava University of Milan (UniMi)Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS)Lund University University of Macedonia (UoM)Sabancı University Lebanese American University (LAU)Institut Français du Proche Orient (ifpo)

Head

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

Research Questions

Within the Work Package "Comparing Crises", we want to understand two things:
1) What is a "migration crisis" in our research regions?, and
2) How do efforts to control and regulate movement figure in negotiations between state and non-state actors?
We argue that forced migration governance functions as a regime strategy of states at different levels of political stability with institutional and bureaucratic specificities limiting a state’s scope to act; is negotiated around humanitarian principles in which international actors and civil society play a crucial role; is driven by the size and perceived proximity of forced migrant groups in terms of race, gender, ethnicity, class, and religious belonging; and is characterised by strong path-dependency.

Contribution to International Research

"Comparing Crises" aims to look into processes in the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa and the position of forced migration governance within their polities and politics, thus adding a less Eurocentric perspective to international research. Its overall objective is to provide a cross-regional, potentially global framework which enables a comparative assessment and explains variation in forced migration governance across regions, space, and time.

Research Design and Methods

Our work follows a process-oriented approach which focuses on different scales (local, national, inter-/transnational) and which takes forced migrants’ perspectives as a starting point. We build our empirical base by conducting field work in Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Niger and Ethiopia/the Ethiopian diaspora, where we conduct interviews both with refugees and migrants as well as with political decision-makers and civil society actors. This is complemented by archival research and the study of secondary literature. The fieldwork has been completely reconfigured due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Infographic | 2023

(Im)Mobility Trajectories in Conflict Settings

This infographic illustrates the (im)mobility trajectories in conflict settings, specifically focusing on Syria. It highlights various regions and the displacement patterns within these conflict zones. Key areas depicted include Idlib, Aleppo, Damascus, and surrounding regions.

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate

Infographic | 2023

Forced Migration Governance from a Comparative Perspective

This infographic titled "Forced Migration Governance from a Comparative Perspective" compares the governance approaches to three different cases of forced displacement: Algerian Displacement (1956-1962), Syrian Displacement (2011–Present) and Libyan Displacement (2011–Present).

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate

Infographic | 2023

Migration Decision-Making

This infographic shows the factors influencing migration decision-making. At the global/national level, factors such as the economy, environment (including climate change), politics, and culture contribute to a person's decision to migrate. These factors affect the individual's adaptive capacity and vulnerability.

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

GIGA Focus Middle East | 1/2022

Doom and Gloom: Leaving Erdoğan’s Turkey

Although known as a host and transit country, Turkey today is in the midst of its fifth wave of emigration as a result of the country’s authoritarian and economic challenges. From asylum seekers to wealthy businesspeople, many seek to leave Erdoğan’s Turkey to make a fresh start elsewhere.

Dr. A. Erdi Öztürk

Former Associate

Dr. Hakkı Taş

Research Fellow

Working Paper | 2022

MAGYC Working Paper: Mobility Control as State-Making in Civil War

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Lead Research Fellow / Head of Research Programme "Peace and Security"

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate