International Migration: Challenges for Politics, Governance, and Society

Section endorsed by SG Migration and Ethnicity In recent years, the intensification of human mobility worldwide has challenged the governance of international migration flows, while existing policies regulating migrants’ rights have become increasingly salient and contested. Recent events (the so-called “refugee crisis”, the COVID-19 pandemic, Black Lives Matter) have fuelled debates on whether and how national, international and sub-national policy responses to migration management adequately protect mobile individuals. This Section includes 8 Panels that reflect on how these challenges affect migration policymaking and migrants’ lives. Confirmed Panels: Panel 1: Shifting dynamics of politicization? Exploring the effects of recent crises on the migration policy field Chairs: Tiziana Caponio (University of Turin), Leila Hadj Abdou (University of Vienna) Growing politicization of migration has undoubtedly shaped the migration policy field. Its causes and effects are linked to the restructuring of socio-political conflicts: new political divisions often labelled as cosmopolitans versus communitarians, the rise of sovereigntist versus supranational claims and growing polarization. The 2015 migration crisis has intensified the debates around migration, while more recent events (COVID-19 pandemic, Vienna terrorist attacks, Black Lives Matter) highlight a possible alteration of politicization trends. This panel explores the impact of crises on migration policy and politics. Panel 2: Superdiversity and migration policies in Europe Chairs: Hassan Bousetta (University of Liege), Asuncion Fresnoza-Flot (Université Libre de Bruxelles) In a context of increasing diversification of European societies, the migration-related policies of national, supranational and sub-national actors have received significant salience. Superdiversity is not only a key social process, but also a crucial concept that gained scholarly attention since Steven Vertovec first introduced it. While different layers (race, class, gender, etc.) of diversity exist, the governance of superdiversity reveals important challenges that need to be tackled. This panel reflects on these challenges by examining societal and political responses to superdiversity. Panel 3: The politics of international migration management: revisiting regional migration diplomacy after the European migration governance crisis Chairs: Lena Laube (University of Bonn), Natasha Zaun (London School of Economics) After experiencing the breakdown of established migration governance in 2015, the EU adopted several policy measures to externalise migration control to transit and origin countries. Examples include the strengthening of Frontex, the adoption of return and readmission agreements and deals with partner countries. The EU also adopted new funding instruments (the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, the Jordan Compact) aiming to address ‘the root causes’ of migration. This panel asses how the European migration governance crisis has affected the power dynamics between the EU and its partner countries. Panel 4: The impact of Covid-19 on public attitudes to immigrants Chairs: Didier Ruedin, Anita Manatschal (University of Neuchâtel) When it comes to attitudes to immigrants, 2020 has seen two major events. First, the COVID-19 pandemic that heightens distinctions between in-groups and out-groups, thus potentially creating the ground for xenophobia due to increased feelings of fear, threat and anxiety. This panel examines how the pandemic affected social norms and attitudes to immigrants. Panel 5: The political mobilisation of immigrant minorities Chair: Santiago Pérez-Nievas (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid) In a context of declining turnout across many democracies, the question of when, how and why immigrants mobilise politically has gained significant relevance. Although migrants represent an emerging political force, several institutional and political factors still hinder their turnout levels, which vary widely across countries or between groups. Additionally, migrants’ party identification and vote choice often deviates from that of non-migrants. This panel explores migrants’ electoral behaviour in local, regional or national elections. Panel 6: Sanctuary cities and firewall policies in Europe Chair: Julia Mourão Permoser (University of Innsbruck) The term “sanctuary city” refers to local level jurisdictions that protect unauthorized immigrants from deportation or prosecution. A common characteristic of sanctuary cities is the enactment of “firewall” policies- the prohibition of public servants not directly charged with border enforcement to check migrants’ legal status. Locally enacted firewall policies often stand in contrast to federal efforts at immigration control. Sanctuary cities thus constitute important sites of resistance to restrictive national migration regimes. This panel focuses on firewall policies throughout Europe, where the phenomenon is less studied, despite growing number of sanctuary cities. Panel 7: Who deserves what and why? The driving forces behind public opinion towards immigrants’ integration Chairs: Jerome Gonnot, Lenka Dražanová (European University Institute) Migrants’ integration is high on the political agenda of many destination countries, while also being a main concern of the native population. This panel examines public attitudes towards immigrants’ economic, social, and political rights in Western Europe and the US. It explores the drivers of public opinion regarding three separate aspects of integration: access to the labour market; welfare-related concerns about the fiscal impact of immigration; and migrants’ socio-political integration and access to political rights. Panel 8: Immigrant participation - why do we care? Chairs: Lea Klarenbeek (Goethe University Frankfurt), Floris Vermeulen (University of Amsterdam) Migrants’ participation is a salient topic for scholarship on migration, citizenship, and politics. This panel explores this salience by examining conceptual questions such as: Should we be concerned with immigrant participation as an issue of equality, integration and/or the functioning of democratic institutions? What is the role of non-immigrants and political institutions in this process? Does the study of immigrant participation differ from studying political participation in general? Is non-participation a specific problem when it comes to migrants? About the Section chairs: Daniela Vintila is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (University of Liege). She is chair of ECPR SG Migration and Ethnicity, vice-chair of IPSA RC03 European Unification and co-coordinator of the IMISCOE SC Migration, Citizenship and Political Participation. Verena Wisthaler is a senior researcher at EURAC and external lecturer at the University of Innsbruck. She holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Leicester. She is co-convenor of ECPR SG Migration and Ethnicity.