A Noisy Policy Response to Refugee Influx: Analyzing the Variability in Polish Local Authorities' Approach to Dealing with the Refugees from Ukraine after 24 February 2022

The paper delves into the complex dynamics of the policy response enacted by Polish public authorities to manage the migration crisis triggered by the escalation of Russian aggression against Ukraine on 24 February 2022. Poland’s central authorities were quick to adopt a special law establishing the overall framework for policy response aimed at dealing with the influx of refugees leaving Ukraine. At the same time, Poland’s policy response assumes the far-going engagement of multiple stakeholders, including local authorities. As a result, a space was created for the variability of solutions designed at the local level to address similar problems. The core of the proposed paper lies in examining the resultant variability in policy solutions at the local level, which may have an impact on refugees' access to basic services. The paper scrutinizes the policy responses of 12 cities within the Union of Polish Metropolises. A pivotal aspect of this paper is the introduction of a novel conceptual framework that interprets 'noise', as defined by Daniel Kahneman et al. (2021), within the realm of public policy. This framework posits 'noise' as a measure of inconsistency in policy responses, offering a unique lens to assess the variability in the decisions and actions of local authorities. Along with introducing the concept of ‘policy noise’, the paper will present its application to analyze the extent of the inconsistency, thus providing empirical insights into the variability of local policy responses of 12 Polish cities to the influx of war refugees from Ukraine. Furthermore, it will draft the attempt to unravel the underlying sources of the identified inconsistencies in policy response. The analysis will draw upon qualitative data collected in 2023, including official documents, information about solutions designed and implemented by 12 Polish cities, and interviews with city officials and local volunteers. This exploration is crucial for understanding the complexities of multi-level governance of migration flows, especially in crises where rapid and effective policy responses are imperative.