The Global Challenge of Mass Migration and Asylum: Comparative Analysis of Street-Level Organizations at the Front Lines

Abstract

As millions of individuals flee conflict, persecution, and hardship in search of safety and better lives, destination states in Europe and North American have struggled to respond. Street-level theory provides an analytic lens for investigating these struggles and how they evolve on the ground through the informal practices of street-level organizations (SLOs), where the law and individuals meet. This introduction presents an overview of our special issue and its comparative, street-level approach to investigating how SLOs matter to policy, politics, and, ultimately, the lived experience of migrants and refugees.