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Globalization and International Migration to the EU
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Globalization and International Migration to the EU

A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760). This special issue belongs to the section "Social Economics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2024) | Viewed by 11317

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Leila Simona Talani

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Guest Editor
Department of European and International Studies, King’s College London, London WC2B 4BG, UK
Interests: international political economy; European political economy; the political economy of international migration; Brexit and the city of London; the political economy of Italy in the Euro
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Matilde Rosina

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Guest Editor
London School of Economics, King’s College London, University of East Anglia, London WC2R 2LS, UK
Interests: migration; migration policy; EU; international political economy; international relations

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The debate of the implementation of a common migratory policy vis à vis third country nationals in the EU is a thriving one and one that does not seem to be easy to resolve. Much of the discussion focuses on the notion of ‘Fortress Europe’, defined in the literature as an area that enjoys internal mobility while erecting barriers to entry and stay with respect to non-EU citizens.

The EU's approach to migration faced new challenges with an extraordinary inflow of refugees from Syria in the period 2014–2015, in what came to be known in the literature and mass media (e.g., FT 2015a) as Europe’s ‘migrant or refugee crisis’. As well as a social crisis, the refugee crisis became an institutional one, with the widespread perception that the EU was unable to manage it either in a consistent or coherent way.

The reasons for the failure of the EU to effectively address international migration, what in the literature is called a policy gap, are many and varied. At their core, such factors are inherently related to the structural nature of contemporary international migratory flows, which makes migration an unavoidable phenomenon. This is to the extent that attempts to stop or prevent migration are often counterproductive, with the so-called ‘securitization’ of borders frequently merely ending up increasing irregular migration.

This Special Issue will address international migration to the EU in the globalization era. We welcome contributions on issues related (but not limited) to: the deeper causes of migration (as related to globalization, climate change, conflict, etc.), the policy response (in relation to the securitization debate, policy gaps, the foreign policy of migration, etc.), and the experiences and insertion of migrants and refugees in receiving societies (e.g., in the labor markets of receiving countries).

Prof. Dr. Leila Simona Talani
Dr. Matilde Rosina
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • international migration
  • globalization
  • global political economy
  • Fortress Europe
  • policy gap
  • irregular migration
  • migrants’ integration
  • refugee crisis
  • securitization

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 2484 KiB  
Article
The Labour Market for Immigrants: Evidence from Data
by Leila Simona Talani
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(10), 556; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13100556 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 565
Abstract
This article verifies how regular migrants are inserted into the labour markets of receiving countries. The analysis will be made with reference to the position of neo-classical economists relating to the insertion of immigrants in the labour markets of host countries. Reference will [...] Read more.
This article verifies how regular migrants are inserted into the labour markets of receiving countries. The analysis will be made with reference to the position of neo-classical economists relating to the insertion of immigrants in the labour markets of host countries. Reference will also be made to existing data on the dynamics of the integration of authorized migrants in the labour force of OECD and EU countries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
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19 pages, 675 KiB  
Article
Criminalising Migration: The Vicious Cycle of Insecurity and Irregularity
by Matilde Rosina
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(10), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13100529 - 2 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1188
Abstract
Recent years have witnessed growing emphasis on exceptional measures to address unauthorised arrivals. This article unpacks the relationship between migration policies, irregularity, and insecurity, by examining the consequences of a specific, yet often neglected, measure: the criminalisation of irregular migration (namely, the introduction [...] Read more.
Recent years have witnessed growing emphasis on exceptional measures to address unauthorised arrivals. This article unpacks the relationship between migration policies, irregularity, and insecurity, by examining the consequences of a specific, yet often neglected, measure: the criminalisation of irregular migration (namely, the introduction of the “crime of irregular migration”). Investigating the cases of Italy and France, two of the countries with the most severe sanctions in Europe, it argues that criminalisation led to a two-fold feedback loop. On the one hand, by exceptionalising migration and constructing a continuum between migrants and criminals, criminalisation enhanced a sense of insecurity among the domestic public. On the other hand, by giving foreigners in irregular situations a criminal record, it increased their reliance on underground networks to stay and work in destination countries. Overall, this fostered demand for restrictive, yet counterproductive, policies, creating a vicious cycle of insecurity and irregularity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
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18 pages, 525 KiB  
Article
The Externalisation Gamble: Italy and Spain at the Forefront of Maritime Irregular Migration Governance
by Gabriel Echeverría, Gabriele Abbondanza and Claudia Finotelli
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(10), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13100517 - 29 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1087
Abstract
Irregular migration is rapidly becoming a permanent feature of the twenty-first century. Amid the European “refugee crisis”, Italy and Spain represent two major destination countries that are affected by substantial irregular flows. Despite this comparable condition, and notwithstanding the significance of their relevant [...] Read more.
Irregular migration is rapidly becoming a permanent feature of the twenty-first century. Amid the European “refugee crisis”, Italy and Spain represent two major destination countries that are affected by substantial irregular flows. Despite this comparable condition, and notwithstanding the significance of their relevant policies, they have rarely been compared, a gap in the literature that this research addresses through a novel comparative analysis of their irregular migration governance. Following a broad contextualisation of destination countries’ strategies against irregular migration, this article delves into the two case studies’ external dimension of control policies from the 1990s to 2024 inclusive. In doing so, it assesses the nature of their foreign policy on irregular migration, their specific measures, and their geographical scope. It finds that there is a noticeable convergence towards readmission measures and externalisation, along with the growing use of informal deals. In terms of differences, the article highlights Italy’s much higher number of irregular arrivals compared to Spain, and the impact that this has had on domestic debates, priorities, and relevant policy formulation processes. As a novel investigation of two influential case studies, this article therefore contributes to the literature on both externalisation and Italy’s and Spain’s foreign policy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
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12 pages, 223 KiB  
Article
Migrant Women in the UK’s Digital Economy: The Elimination of Labour Market Barriers in the Digital Labour Market
by Miray Erinc Oztas
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 494; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090494 - 18 Sep 2024
Viewed by 781
Abstract
This research paper delves into the complexities migrant women face within the UK labour market, with a specific focus on the digital economy’s role as both a barrier and a conduit for employment opportunities. Migrant women in the UK encounter dual barriers to [...] Read more.
This research paper delves into the complexities migrant women face within the UK labour market, with a specific focus on the digital economy’s role as both a barrier and a conduit for employment opportunities. Migrant women in the UK encounter dual barriers to labour market entry: systemic challenges rooted in migration and gender biases, and the digital divide that exacerbates access and inclusion issues within the burgeoning digital economy. Through an exploratory descriptive analysis, this study explores how digitalism—defined as the integration of digital technologies into economic and societal practices—circumvents traditional labour market entry barriers such as languages barriers. By setting out the grounds for a potential hypothesis and further research in the era of AI, this paper underlines how through the implementation of AI tools, traditional barriers such as language barriers are eliminated in the digital labour market. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
14 pages, 251 KiB  
Article
The Turkish Government’s Ambivalent Policy Response to the New Influx of Afghan Migrants through the Public Policy Tools
by Sevinç Bermek
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 487; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090487 - 14 Sep 2024
Viewed by 852
Abstract
Turkey has been a hub for migrants since the Syrian crisis and has been home to 3.7 million refugees. The literature on migration focusses largely on Turkey’s response to refugees from Syria, host country citizens’ attitudes towards Syrians and their integration challenges, the [...] Read more.
Turkey has been a hub for migrants since the Syrian crisis and has been home to 3.7 million refugees. The literature on migration focusses largely on Turkey’s response to refugees from Syria, host country citizens’ attitudes towards Syrians and their integration challenges, the EU–Turkey refugee deal, and its political implications for the EU and Turkey. Nonetheless, there has been a sharp rise in the number of Afghan migrants to Turkey since the complete withdrawal of US military forces from Afghanistan in 2020. Both scholarly and grey literature highlights that Turkey has recently been an attractive hub for Afghan migrants and other ethnic minorities, following Pakistan and Iran. Nonetheless, this literature has not substantially explored the Turkish government’s attitude towards the new influx of migrants. For this purpose, the article draws upon qualitative research based on secondary and grey literature (including semi-structured interviews with representatives from migration-related NGOs in Turkey). The article underpins its findings from the public policy framework of NATO (nodality, authority, treasure, organisation) by demonstrating how Turkey’s ambivalent response to the refugee inflow is shaped by limited information (nodality), weak legal mechanisms (authority), exploitation of new inflow as cheap labour (treasure), and migration system restructuring (organisation, treasure) after the withdrawal of external actors like the EU and UNHCR. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
11 pages, 253 KiB  
Article
Slap a Label on It—Civic Registration Categories for (Non)Citizens and the Digital Promise
by Mariangela Veikou
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 464; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090464 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 549
Abstract
As we experience a sudden leap forward with machine learning models put into the decision-making apparatus of the state, social scientists are putting scrutiny on what actually goes into these datasets. Issues of ethics and representational harms are relevant questions that come up [...] Read more.
As we experience a sudden leap forward with machine learning models put into the decision-making apparatus of the state, social scientists are putting scrutiny on what actually goes into these datasets. Issues of ethics and representational harms are relevant questions that come up in the present day. Against this background, there has been little work thus far, bringing together various trajectories about the interplay between forms of contemporary citizenship and the politics of migration and diversity. Despite the persistent presence of diversity and migration as constructs that shape social relations in modern society, this gap is notable. Given their importance, it is crucial to continue analyzing these factors. This will contribute to more progressive ways of thinking about the relationship between the individual and the state. In this article, I draw attention to the civil registry identity categorizations in The Netherlands to explore some of the complexities surrounding the relationship between digitization and the often absent dynamics in public policy debates about migration and diversity. Drawing on cultural and political themes, I look at the digital as a language that can offer new perspectives on migration. I suggest that technology and its uses may work to enable the state to address and possibly resolve tensions in policy and practice between the intersection of regimes of rights (legal status) and diversity (forms of social cleavages). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
15 pages, 304 KiB  
Article
Strategies to Exclude: Temporariness and Return/Readmission Policies of the EU
by Şahizer Samuk, Gül Ince-Beqo and Jenna L. Hennebry
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(9), 448; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13090448 - 28 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1006
Abstract
Migration governance, migration management and migration crises have been key themes among migration scholars and governments over the last decade. Historically, systemic political economic crises are accompanied by the scapegoating of migrants, often as a strategy to shift the focus away from political [...] Read more.
Migration governance, migration management and migration crises have been key themes among migration scholars and governments over the last decade. Historically, systemic political economic crises are accompanied by the scapegoating of migrants, often as a strategy to shift the focus away from political and economic decisions taken by states. The EU has been no exception, and political and social tensions around migration are arguably at an all-time high, as European governments aim to protect their interests and manage their borders amidst increasing migration pressures globally. In this paper, we will examine these three EU immigration prevention strategies, with a focus on the recently adopted Pact on Migration and Asylum. Specifically, we ask the following research question: what are the roles of temporariness and return/readmission as important EU strategies to hinder, stop, and exclude the movement of migrants to EU (and Schengen)? Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
19 pages, 2267 KiB  
Article
The Great Amplifier? Climate Change, Irregular Migration, and the Missing Links in EU Responses
by Iole Fontana
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(8), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13080391 - 25 Jul 2024
Viewed by 631
Abstract
This article examines the complex relationship between climate change and migration in Africa, with a specific focus on Senegal—a West African nation increasingly vulnerable to climate threats such as drought, rising sea levels, floods, and salinisation. As a significant origin country for irregular [...] Read more.
This article examines the complex relationship between climate change and migration in Africa, with a specific focus on Senegal—a West African nation increasingly vulnerable to climate threats such as drought, rising sea levels, floods, and salinisation. As a significant origin country for irregular migration to the European Union (EU), Senegal presents a compelling case study to explore how extreme climatic conditions interact with other migration drivers. This article does not aim to quantify or measure the extent to which climatic factors and variability contributed to migration decisions. Instead, building on original empirical material, it seeks to map and explore how climate variability interacts with other migration drivers, either by amplifying them or acting in synergy with them, thereby offering a fresh perspective of the complex dynamics at play. Additionally, this article investigates the extent to which the EU addresses and integrates climate considerations into its policy responses to address migratory flows and people’s vulnerability in countries of origin. This analysis reveals that the integration of climate factors as an amplifier and a synergist is a ‘missing link’ in the EU approach in the case of Senegal, with significant implications in terms of the effectiveness and long-term sustainability of EU action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
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16 pages, 314 KiB  
Article
May I Come In? EU Policies to Control Migration: The EUTF
by Ana Beatriz da Costa Mangueira
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(7), 377; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13070377 - 22 Jul 2024
Viewed by 965
Abstract
What types of policies has the European Union (EU) implemented to control migration flows in recent decades, and what are their strategies? This paper aims to explore the measures developed by the EU to manage migration flows and identify how they operate. While [...] Read more.
What types of policies has the European Union (EU) implemented to control migration flows in recent decades, and what are their strategies? This paper aims to explore the measures developed by the EU to manage migration flows and identify how they operate. While a securitisation approach, such as activities of border control, has been widely discussed by scholars in this field, it is worth exploring and understanding other kinds of instruments aimed at curbing irregular flows through executing programs such as the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), developed in the aftermath of the Arab uprisings to address the “root causes” of the displacement. In light of this, this research conducts a case study and qualitative content and descriptive analysis of documents on the EUTF. Preliminary findings indicate patterns in what motivated the EU to undertake these actions and present the main strategies of the Fund in the North Africa region. However, some factors may have led to disappointing outcomes for the EUTF, such as the increase, in 2019, of nationals leaving the North Africa region towards Europe, as reported by UNDESA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
24 pages, 410 KiB  
Article
Does Environmental Change Affect Migration Especially into the EU?
by Dina Moawad
Soc. Sci. 2024, 13(3), 160; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci13030160 - 8 Mar 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2167
Abstract
Environmental shock migration is a pressing phenomenon that became prominent with the continuous emergence of natural disasters and climatic shocks worldwide. In order to cope with these various disasters or shocks, people choose to migrate either internally, internationally, permanently, or temporarily; the paper [...] Read more.
Environmental shock migration is a pressing phenomenon that became prominent with the continuous emergence of natural disasters and climatic shocks worldwide. In order to cope with these various disasters or shocks, people choose to migrate either internally, internationally, permanently, or temporarily; the paper named this phenomenon “environmental shock migration”. For a holistic understanding, this paper analyzes the impact of environmental changes on migration and discusses the relevant consequences, specifically in the EU region. The paper demonstrates that natural disasters and climatic shocks as environmental changes lead to several forms of shock migration and differ depending upon the context of migration, the duration, the number of migrants, and the region. A comprehensive literature review will be provided to tackle the work of previous scholars and identify the gaps required to be studied in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Globalization and International Migration to the EU)
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