Migration Crisis Research Articles

Migrations as a Collective Act. Case Studies

The 21st century became a period of mass migration, which had to do with the „shrinking of the world” through globalization, the development of means of transport and communication. In 2015 and 2016, Europe experienced its first migration crisis. The next occurred in 2021 and 2022. Forecasts for Europe in this regard are not optimistic. from which it can be concluded that we will experience further crowds of migrants at the external borders of the EU. The purpose of this article is to analyze migration to EU countries in the context of a collective act. In it, the thesis is put forward that being in a crowd increases the chances of the migrants’ intentions being realized. The article is divided into three parts. In the first, it analyzed the processes of psychological behavior in a crowd based mainly on Gustav Le Bon’s theory. Next, the migration crises of 2015 and 2021 were explored in the context of the migrant crowd. In turn, the last part deals with the so-called the „Caravan of Light” that is, the attempt by Syrians from Turkey to the EU to undertake collective migration in 2022.

A Comprehensive Analysis of National and Supranational Approaches to Refugee Migration within the Framework of European Integration

This essay examines the European Union’s (EU) response to refugee migration, focusing on policy contributions, national approaches, and prospects for collaboration. By analyzing the 2015 European migrant crisis and the ongoing Ukrainian refugee crisis, it elucidates the complexities surrounding refugee migration in the EU. The study explores EU legislative developments, including the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, and evaluates divergent national perspectives, ideological barriers, and challenges to collaboration within the organization. It underscores the importance of solidarity and equitable burden-sharing in addressing refugee migration. Using theoretical analysis and empirical evidence, this paper offers insights into the EU’s efforts to manage refugee migration and the implications for future policymaking and collaboration.

The Culture of Social Security of Migrants in Poland in View of Challenges and Threats on the Example of COVID-19 and the War in Ukraine

Contemporary reasons for migration are diverse and they are treated as the most active factor of human activity. Highlighting the scale of migration processes that generate challenges and threats in the modern world seems fully justified. Analysis of the experience of the influx of Ukrainian immigrants for economic purposes as a result of the migration crisis of 2015–2018, the mass influx of foreigners during the crisis on the Polish-Belarusian border and the specific exodus of war refugees from Ukraine as a result of the military conflict triggered profound changes in Poland’s migration policy. This article presents the expansion of the causes and effects of the above phenomena on state security in the social and economic dimensions. The role of migration policy in the new and changing security architecture was also highlighted.

The COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on the Remittances and Major Economic Factors of Nepal: A Retrospective Assessment

The COVID-19 epidemic has had a significant impact on Nepal, primarily due to the closure of businesses in key migrant labor destinations such as the Gulf countries, Malaysia, and South Korea. Remittances account for 26% of Nepal's GDP, but they have dropped significantly since COVID-19. This study examines the impact of a negative shock to remittances on macroeconomic variables and makes policy recommendations. The analysis finds that a drop in remittances correlates with slower growth in consumption (2.5%) and foreign exchange reserves (17.7%) over a 20-year period, using both quantitative and qualitative data. The result shows that the Nepalese migrant crisis, exacerbated by the economic downturn in destination countries, has led to a substantial decline in remittance inflows, causing a 15.33% monthly decrease. This poses a threat to Nepal's economy, affecting consumption, GDP growth, and key macroeconomic variables. The results thus emphasize the importance of immediate relief and bolstering economic recovery initiatives by investigating potential outcomes of the pandemic's impact on key economic indicators.

Внутрішньо переміщені особи як особливий об'єкт соціального захисту України

The article is devoted to the study of certain issues related to the social protection of internally displaced persons in Ukraine through the prism of security and economic aspects, which are the main ones for this category of persons. It is emphasized that the issues of migration processes throughout all the years of Ukraine's independence were quite acute for our state. The issue of the legal status of persons who returned to the state from the territories of the republics of the former Soviet space was replaced by the issue of refugees, deported peoples, illegal and labor migration, and since 2014, a new category of migrants has emerged – internally displaced persons. Terrible events: the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the armed conflict in the East of the country, and in 2022 – a full-scale aggressive war by the Russian Federation, which continues to this day, caused the largest internal displacement of the population of Ukraine. All this became a good reason for the adoption of a number of legislative acts that created the basis for regulating their status and creating an appropriate mechanism for the realization and protection of the rights and freedoms of this category of persons. It has been established that today in our country an extremely terrible mass forced migration crisis continues, which in terms of its scale and consequences is considered to be almost the largest in terms of its nature and number of forced displacement of the population. The large-scale military aggression shown by the Russian Federation against Ukraine left a large number of residents of our country without homes, radically changed their security, economic and financial situation, as well as the state of their social security and well-being. Such vulnerability of IDPs requires the state to create and use a whole range of possible measures and means that will ensure the proper social integration of these persons in the new environment, among which the most important are the issues of: provision of housing, employment opportunities, realization of the right to medical care and education, psychological support, etc., as well as financial support, which is almost the most important element of providing social services.

How ‘going online’ mediates the challenges of policy elite interviews

Relevant data on sensitive and politicised political processes might be difficult to obtain and is sometimes even purposely hidden from the public domain. Policy elite interviews constitute crucial sources of information in policy research. However, there are significant challenges associated with ‘researching up’ which sets elite interviews apart from other interview methods. Although there is a great deal of literature concerning interviews conducted via phone or audio-visual computer programs, the implications of conducting policy elite interviews online have received surprisingly little attention. This paper discusses how going online can mediate the main challenges associated with policy elite interviews. These challenges include barriers to gaining access, dealing with biased information, and problems concerning positionality. Based on a least likely case to access relevant data, this paper reflects on personal experience from 20 online interviews with European Commission representatives on policy responses to the 2015 migration crisis. The paper concludes that the online format facilitated unique insights into a highly controversial issue area.

Migration Crisis in the Andes: A Case Study of Localization and Acompañamiento from Medellin, Colombia

Abstract In this article, we explore the question: how do local nonprofits respond to migration crises? We focus on the migration context across Colombia and Venezuela, two countries situated in the Andean region of South America with histories of migratory patterns, and geographies where public goods and services by government are limited, leaving nonprofits often as primary service providers. We explore our research question through the case study of the nonprofit organization Fundación Huellas. The Fundación Huellas case study outlines a local, community-based nonprofit responding to a migration crisis in Medellín, Colombia. While micro-territorial in scope, we posit that the case helps to understand the role(s) of nonprofit organizations in migration crises and demonstrates an important dimension to localization in the provision of public goods and services in such contexts. We find that localization should be explored and understood in Latin America as including the dimension of “acompañamiento” (or accompaniment in English), which can manifest in daily nonprofit practice. We use our case study data to introduce and explain the dimension of “acompañamiento” in localization and migration crises and to call on the field and funders to better recognize and support this orientation in local nonprofit responses.

The British state, citizenship rights and gendered folk devils: The case of Shamima Begum

The revoking of Shamima Begum’s citizenship exemplifies much of the purposes of contemporary anti-Muslim racism and underlines its significant gendered element. Both state and media actors constructed the 15-year old as a problematic other, both to justify conditional citizenship ideologically, and to use her case to strengthen and add to the framework for making it legal. This comes in a context in which British Muslims and members of the British Windrush generation are being denied citizenship and the rights that go with it. We argue that Shamima Begum’s construction as a gendered folk devil must be understood in the context of nation states shifting their purpose and legitimacy from ‘civil rights’ to ‘national security’ and strengthening two-tier citizenship rights to control residents of colour, increase the state’s authoritarian purpose and, as part of an ongoing process, to transform the concept of ‘national security’ into legal reality, to further militarise the state and its borders against the ‘migrant crisis’ and, ultimately, to stifle dissent.

A retrospective of deaths related to migration along the southeasternmost land borders of Europe: an update encompassing the years 2015-22.

This study presents an update of forensic accounting of the numbers and demographics of migrants found deceased in the Evros region of Greece in the years from 2015-22. Compared to data from 2000-14, this update reflects the mounting number of border-related deaths in the region, as well as the changing demographic trends associated with the migrants who perish crossing the Greek-Turkish border. Specifically, the paper documents a broadening of locations from which migrants originate, the increasing diversity of migrant death locations, and a shift in the leading causes of death. It contains important forensic accounting of the unique humanitarian crisis occurring along the Greek-Turkish land border while also providing an additional context for the global migration crisis. The data presented here offer insights into other forensic stakeholders impacted by the global migration crisis, with respect to what factors contribute to and detract from identification rates, and can help stakeholders make informed policy decisions.

Diasporic Identity: Disparity and Dislocation in Benyamin’s Goat Days

The influence of literature in contemporary society cannot be underestimated. Each writer uses literature as a means of self-expression. Some books serve as a reflection of society, and offering the readers an insight into the world around them. Goat Days by Benyamin is one of such books. This paper discusses the social concerns and problems narrated in his novel Goat Days. This study focuses on the theme of migration, violence, alienation, homelessness and identity crisis. Goat Days is the translation of the famous Malayalam novel Aadujeevitham which is translated into English by Professor Joseph Koyipally. The protagonist of the novel symbolizes the aspirations of all Malayalees seeking a prosperous future that they believe can be found in the Gulf countries. The background of the novel set in the Oil Era in the Gulf countries, provides the fantasy of a stable future for every ordinary man.

Interpretive Methods as Policy Tools: The COVID-19 Migration Crisis in India and the Case for Policy Innovation

Attempts to quantify and measure migration in India have proved inadequate as far as policy change is concerned. The Census of India 2011 and the National Sample Surveys (particularly the 64th Round conducted between 2007 and 2008), while useful, are too infrequent and temporally limited to offer insights into real-time movements and seasonal migration. On the other hand, even when data is available, it can be difficult to use it to understand future patterns and reactions to policy changes, as the COVID-19 pandemic-induced crisis showed. It was not just the number of migrants residing in major cities that was unanticipated. The government and local authorities also failed to anticipate the impetus for migrant labourers to move back to their hometowns once their revenue streams were cut off. This suggests that the government had not considered the subjective, emotional concerns that migrants had about their well-being, and consequently failed to predict how they would react. This article argues that a paradigm shift towards a deeper, more wide-ranging use of qualitative-interpretive methods is in order if we are to obtain a fuller picture of migrant needs and actions. This qualitative data may then be used in tandem with surveys, enumerations and quantitative studies to predict both the quantum and the direction of migrant movements, actions and reactions. These methods are, therefore, not just supplementary, but critical policy tools in themselves, allowing policymakers to craft interventions and responses that account for the subjective considerations surrounding migrant mobility.

Politics metaphor in British and Bosnian-Herzegovinian migration discourse

As the geopolitical situation changes, it is necessary to discuss how politics is structured by metaphor in the context of recent social phenomena, such as the European migrant crisis. This paper analyses the conceptual metaphors politics as war, politics as a game, politics as a trade, and politics as a theater in British and Bosnian-Herzegovinian newspapers. The goal of this study is to establish to what extent and in which situations journalists resort to figurative language to persuade the recipients to view politics in a desired way. The paper aims to reflect on the use of deliberate metaphor as a perspective-changing device by journalists striving to achieve their rhetorical goals and influence recipients’ perception of the political situation. The corpus comprises 174 British and 307 Bosnian-Herzegovinian articles collected from August 2015 to March 2016 (247,912 words). Relying on Steen et al.’s (2010) model of metaphor analysis, the paper investigates the types of metaphor in the corpus, the deliberate use of politics metaphors and their communicative function in migration discourse - discussing both the rhetorical goals of journalists and the rhetorical effects on recipients. It has been established that the analyzed set of metaphors has a divertive and persuasive function in migration discourse. Similar studies are encouraged to shed light on how deliberate metaphors related to politics may have diverging communicative functions in other types of discourse.

Wolves in the borderland – changes in population and wolf diet in Romincka Forest along the Polish–Russian–Lithuanian state borders

We assessed changes in the population size, density, and diet composition of wolves inhabiting the Romincka Forest (RF), an area of 480 km2 situated along the state border between Poland, Russian Federation (Kaliningrad), and Lithuania. We compared the results of our research in 2020–2021 with data from other projects conducted since 1999. We found that both packs living in RF had transboundary territories. The number of packs was stable over 21 years; the average pack size almost doubled (from 4–4.5 to 7.5–8 wolves per pack); the total wolf numbers increased 1.8 times, reaching 15–16 wolves; and the density increased 1.5 times up to 3.1–3.3 wolves/100 km2 in winter 2020/2021. Our analyses of 165 scats revealed that beavers Castor fiber made up 45.6% of food biomass in the wolf diet in 2020, which was 3.4 times more than in 1999–2004 (n = 84 scats,13.4%). Wild ungulates constituted 44.8% of the wolf food biomass in 2020, 1.6 times less than before (71.1%). In our study, among wild ungulates, wolves primarily consumed roe deer Capreolus capreolus (22.6% of food biomass), then wild boars Sus scrofa (13.7%), and red deer Cervus elaphus (5.0%), while moose Alces alces was eaten rarely (0.4%). We also recorded domestic dogs (4.9% of food biomass) and cattle (3.1%). The food niche breadth was wider (B = 2.31) than in the earlier period (B = 1.84), and the Pianka index showed moderate similarity in food composition between both periods (α = 0.816). In November 2022, due to the migration crisis, a 199 km impermeable fence along the state border with Kaliningrad was erected, which blocked access to 48% of the RF area that was regularly used by the resident wolf packs. This may cause wolf numbers to decrease and isolation from the central part of the Baltic wolf population to which they belong, according to our DNA analyses.

The Resurrection of Borders Inside of the Schengen Area and its Media Representations

The bordering processes inside of the Schengen Area are traditionally under the scrutiny of border studies scholars. The European Union has been repeatedly displayed as a laboratory for a free cross-border movement, often with synonyms like an ostensibly borderless area (Scott 2012). This so-called Schengen culture (Zaiotti 2011) developed due to intensifying cross-border contact and integration between EU member states. However, in the decade between 2010 and 2020 this Schengen culture has been repeatedly challenged by the geopolitical crises and nationalistic political narratives and decisions. This study concentrates on this debate about borders in the selected European news. The analysis of news articles from six newspapers (Mladá fronta, Hospodářské noviny, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Der Standard, and Die Presse) shows how the context of the border debate evolved under the impact of migration crises and coronavirus crisis. Throughout the decade of the 2010s, this study witnesses the gradual securitization of borders inside of the EU and illustrates how the symbolic language and various narratives contributed to this development.

The “Politics of the Faceless”

Abstract While practices of visibility, visuality, and visualization have long impacted migration, recently the drone's-eye view has become part of the iconology and iconography of mobility. With the European “migration crisis” of 2015, varieties of drones were used by states to securitize borders, by NGOs to increase accountability and to aid migrants, and by independent drone photojournalists to document the event. This article discusses how the politics of drone use involves understanding the homologies between militarism, securitization, and humanitarianism in the history of the aerial view, and why drone ethics are intertwined with drone aesthetics. Focusing on the photojournalism of Rasmus Degnbol and Rocco Rorandelli, it argues that, while humanitarian drone images are becoming increasingly mundane and unremarkable in news media, there is an aporia immanent to such images, which require confrontation with histories of racialization and colonialism. It seeks to cultivate “aesthetic literacy” in drone journalism by addressing the way humanitarian events are being revisualized through remote technologies that are underpinned by histories of targeting and racialization in which “the human” is often hardly visible at all.

Municipal Tax Policy in State Emergencies

Abstract A significant part of the revenue supplying municipal budgets in Poland comes from taxes that are subject to municipalities’ constitutionally enshrined powers. This income is mainly generated by contributions connected with the right of property ownership, among others. Apart from a fiscal function, taxes may also stimulate specific processes. Positive stimulation within the scope of tax policy is mainly based on various types of tax preferences. They may be applied as a tool of tax policy which fulfils specific economic and social objectives. These issues have become particularly important during emergencies taking place in the state, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the migration crisis or the war in Ukraine. In the wake of the recent occurrence of such types of quasi-extraordinary measures, it is reasonable to ask a question about the need to adjust the legal limits of municipal tax powers in this regard. Concurrently, the necessity to maintain balance between support provided to specific categories of entities and the financial needs of municipalities may not escape notice. The Polish experience shows that as a consequence of emergencies, ad hoc solutions of a merely occasional nature have been introduced to the tax law system. Hence a thesis may be formulated according to which it is reasonable to approach this kind of phenomenon in a systemic way, which should be reflected in the introduction of standard and stable tools that could enable municipalities to undertake specific action. The purpose of this study is to verify this assumption, relying, most of all, on the experiences and needs that have emerged in Poland in recent years.

Analysis of the payment discipline of trade-licence holders regarding social insurance contributions in the Slovak Republic

Abstract Guarantee of autonomy and stability of economic subjects from the government can be considered an important gauge of state security. Due to the financial, migration and energy crisis, we can observe a notable increase of social problems, which gives more importance to the policy for social security of the population. In this article we address the ongoing problem of an excessively high number of debts owed to the Slovak Social Insurance Agency in recent years. The social security system for trade-licence holders, its financing and the method of enforcement are briefly characterised. The development of the payment/non-payment of taxes and levies to the Social Insurance Agency is tracked against the background of legislative changes. In the conclusion, the ineffectiveness of selected legal provisions and processes of exacting taxes and social security contributions is evaluated in terms of their impact on the financial disciplines of trade-licence holders in the Slovak Republic. Severity of the deficit in money collected on social insurance poses a threat in several areas, such as providing social security to all citizens in some required quality as guaranteed by the government, or sustainability of the public finance which poses a risk for the whole economic security of the country.

Securitization of Migration and Crisis Management in Poland

ObjectivesThe purpose of article is to present the issue of migration crisis management in the context of securitization theory. It is of key importance to show the way in which the phenomenon of migration and crises are presented to the Polish public by political actors, as well as the actions taken to solve them. The analysis covers two important migration crises in the recent years, namely the EU refugee crisis that was particularly intensified in 2015 and the crisis on the Belarusian border in 2021-2022.MethodsThe approach used in the research process is descriptive and exploratory in its nature. The main methods used in this study include desk research and a systematic review of literature and of websites concerning securitization theory and migration crises selected as case studies.ResultsWhat is also associated with the policies and practices in place at the time of migration crises, is a negative migration discourse, compounded by a narrative that describes migration and migrants as a threat, and images designed to create fear. Socially constructed “threats of migration” as a security issue in Poland concern migrants from the Middle East and Africa.ConclusionsIn a situation referred to as a crisis, during which migrants are defined as a threat requiring the use of emergency measures, policymakers have an option of managing migration to limit its scale. This model involves, among other things, closing borders, increasing the number of services, denying asylum requests or, finally, erecting a fence and a monitoring system in the cross-border area.

IRREGULAR MIGRANTS ON THE ROADS OF SERBIA

With the onset of the migrant crisis in Europe, irregular migration is becoming a significant security problem for European leaders and citizens. As a result, there has also been a change in the public opinion of European countries, because many citizens associate irregular migration with terrorism and other security problems. In line with the growing importance of irregular migration as a security problem, the research aimed to determine changes in migration trends in Serbia, that is, on the ‘Balkan route’ of migration since 2015, when the migrant crisis in Europe began. Results that can roughly indicate the profile of an irregular migrant found on the territory of the Republic of Serbia were obtained in this research, conducted between June and August 2020 on a sample of 50 irregular migrants. An irregular migrant is a person from Afghanistan, of Islamic religion, uneducated, and of a poor financial status. They want to go to Germany for money, and they cross the borders of the countries located on the ‘Balkan route’ on foot, occasionally using the services of smugglers. Additionally, they have no problems with the border police of Serbia. The conducted research can contribute to gaining new knowledge about the problem of irregular migration, primarily about the trends that are different than they were at the time of the migrant crisis in 2015. Unlike previous research, this research is unique in that it also refers to the work of the border police and the attitude of border police officers toward irregular migrants.

Mapping cooperation: insights into Colombia's humanitarian response to migration from Venezuela

IntroductionSince 2015, Colombia has faced a significant humanitarian challenge, receiving 2.9 million displaced Venezuelans. This study examines organizational cooperation in the humanitarian response to this migration crisis, aiming to understand the coordination dynamics among key organizations and actors.MethodsOur research combined interviews and web scraping to gather data on key actors and their relationships in the humanitarian response. We employed Social Network Analysis (SNA) to examine these relationships and the collaborative strategies among entities, focusing on how they address the migration challenges.ResultsThe results indicate that cooperation occurred through mediated channels, where established NGOs collaborated via coordination mechanisms established by international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), often involving diaspora volunteer-based organizations and through ad-hoc coordination. We also identified that organizations specializing in specific activities often exhibited limited coordination with others operating in the same sector. Lastly, the results suggest that coordination mechanisms played a crucial role in driving activities and facilitating the diversification of responses, partly through allocating financial resources.DiscussionThis study contributes to the humanitarian aid and migration literature, focusing on Colombia's migration response. It employs a mixed-methods approach, including Social Network Analysis (SNA), to explore the dynamics within humanitarian networks. It highlights the role of the Venezuelan diaspora NGOs, challenging the conventional view of migrants solely as aid recipients. The research uncovers the complex roles of intermediaries and coordination mechanisms, offering new insights into constructing effective humanitarian network structures. It advocates for a collaborative and inclusive approach to managing migration situations.