Coping with Migrants and Refugees: Multilevel Governance across the EU

This book provides a comparative overview of asylum seekers reception throughout Europe by adopting a theoretical framework based on an analytical approach to the notion of multilevel governance (MLG). It challenges the tendency of the MLG literature to overlook political controversies and conflicts and questions the assumption that it represents the best policymaking arrangement for promoting policy convergence. It explores the functioning of the reception component of the Common European Asylum System in centralised states and federal/regional states and analyses its implementation at both national and local levels. The book reveals the heterogeneous development of reception policies not only across Member States but also within each country, where solutions adopted at the local level generally diverge substantially. Furthermore, the overall centralisation of policy-making on reception regardless of the institutional structure, seems to leave little room for MLG arrangements tailored to specific localities and triggers tensions between central governments and local authorities.

Format: Hardback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 09 March 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book offers a comparative analysis of the reception of asylum seekers across Europe, employing a theoretical framework rooted in the concept of multilevel governance (MLG). It challenges the prevalent tendency in the MLG literature to overlook political controversies and conflicts, raising questions about the assumption that it represents the optimal policymaking arrangement for promoting policy convergence. By delving into the functioning of the reception component of the Common European Asylum System in both centralized and federal/regional states, the book explores its implementation at both national and local levels.

What emerges is a nuanced picture of the heterogeneous development of reception policies not only across Member States but also within individual countries, where solutions adopted at the local level often diverge significantly. Furthermore, the overall centralization of policy-making on reception, regardless of the institutional structure, appears to limit the potential for MLG arrangements tailored to specific localities, leading to tensions between central governments and local authorities.

This book holds immense value for scholars and students engaged in the fields of migration and asylum studies, immigration, (multilevel) global governance, and comparative politics, European studies/politics, and public policy. Chapters 3, 5, 6, 9, and 10 are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. These chapters have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license, allowing for widespread dissemination and reuse.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367655228