Governing migration: Refugees, borders and development

In recent decades, the challenge of governing migration and refugee movements has become a core concern for scholars, policy makers and practitioners working in a range of areas, including international relations, public policy, and international development. How can we explain and respond to the governance challenges posed by various types of migration, such as irregular labour migration and spontaneous flows of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people? Why does migration happen in the first place, and how are different forms of migration linked to policy issues such as conflict, security, diplomacy, social policy, humanitarian protection, economic development, and environmental sustainability? How do approaches to governing migration differ at the municipal, national, regional and global level? This unit provides you with an overview of the multi-level governance arrangements in relation to migration that operate around the world today. You will undertake a thorough critique of theory and practice across these areas. Through a range of learning activities, you will examine competing frameworks for governance and alternative possibilities for analysis and action in the work of development and governance agencies associated with migration and border control.