Migration Policies: Comparing the Regulation of Mobility Across Regions

Abstract

While the EU is known to have spearheaded the attribution of rights of persons to move freely within a region, its migration policies face considerable challenges regarding the entry of "third country nationals". How do other regions regulate the mobility of persons through visa regimes and/or immigration policies? How is the different choice of instruments related to regional contexts as opposed to migration profiles and domestic variables? The panel brings together scholars working on visa and migration policies in various regions, such as Latin America, the Middle East, West Africa and Europe. Following a short introduction on some current trends in the regulation of global mobility provided by the Panel Chairs, the papers in this panel will analyse regional trends in the regulation of mobility from two different angles. One allows us to question the degree to which nation-state level policies are on a track of convergence due to common circumstances and regional challenges. The other lays the focus on the adoption of mobility directives and regulations in a supranational level. While both angles embrace context sensitivity of the countries and regions considered, it is through contrasting and combining them (for a multi-level perspective) that we can best observe the cross-regional causal linkages in the regulation of mobility. Thus, this panel not only exemplifies the richness of applying a Comparative Area Studies approach to the study of (im-)migration policies, but hopefully will contribute critical insights to the contemporary general discussions on the freedom of movement rights across the globe.