Accessible vs Applicable Policies? A Discussion on Calculated Informality of Afghan Migrants in Turkey

Abstract

This paper explores the role of calculated informality in the interplay of policies linked to Afghan migration and refuge in Turkey, particularly through the lens of their applicability to this population. Relying on a qualitative case study approach, this research utilizes legal documents, organizational reports, and academic research, supplemented by 44 semi-structured interviews with various key stakeholders in Turkey, including migrant and refugee advocates, donors, INGOs, and civil society organizations. This research finds that policies that are applicable cause informality by failing to be accessible, whether through temporal or spatial restrictions that limit access to economic opportunities, social and community integration, and state services, ultimately illegalizing this demographic. It therefore concludes that the policies and practices that apply to Afghans in Turkey form a strategy of calculated informality by the Turkish state, created through limitations of policy outreach, which maintain their presence due to their economic function as cheap labor yet manage their inflows through security practices including deportation.