RESPOND: Multilevel Governance of Mass Migration in Europe and Beyond

Project Information

RESPOND

Grant agreement ID: 770564

DOI

10.3030/770564

Project closed

EC signature date 30 August 2017

Start date 1 December 2017

End date 31 March 2021

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Europe In A Changing World - Inclusive, Innovative And Reflective Societies

Total cost

€ 3 310 405,00

EU contribution

€ 3 310 405,00

Coordinated by

UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Sweden

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - RESPOND (RESPOND: Multilevel Governance of Mass Migration in Europe and Beyond)

Reporting period: 2018-12-01 to 2021-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Migration has become one of the most important issues in our global world and a flagship in the political debate in many countries. Today, there are more than 250 million people around the world living outside their country of birth. About 10 percent of them are refugees and asylum seekers who have fled to another country to escape conflict and persecution. During 2015 and 2016, 2.3 million refugees and asylum seekers arrived in Europe. The EU and its member states, as well as receiving countries, are faced with the enormous challenge of coping with this partly unexpected, and immensely dramatic wave of mass migration. This phenomena of mass migration has entailed multifaceted economic, political, social, and legal challenges, and has brought together actors (state institutions, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, host societies and refugees) with unequal power, and divergent priorities and interests.

RESPOND brings together 14 partners in 11 source, transit and destination countries and studies migration governance along five thematic fields: (1) Border management and security, (2) Refugee protection regimes, (3) Reception policies, (4) Integration policies, and (5) Conflicting Europeanization. These fields literally represent refugees’ journeys across borders, from their confrontations with protection policies, to their travels through reception centres, and in some cases, ending in their integration into new homes.

Accordingly, RESPOND aimed:
● To provide a contextual background analysis of migration governance.
● To analyse border management policies and practices at macro, meso and micro levels.
● To examine the impact of recent mass migration on asylum determination systems and refugee protection regimes.
● To map out reception policies and practices and assess the coherence of these policies with respect to international standards and regulations.
● To examine how integration experiences, policies and processes are related to migration governance.
● To examine how elite discourse on increasing external migration to the EU is framed in the media, and deliberated among stakeholders with regard to the course of Europeanisation.
● To provide evidence-based policy recommendations regarding migration governance.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Within RESPOND, we studied migration governance, practices and experiences in Greece, Italy, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Sweden, UK, Poland, Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, conducted interviews with more than 535 refugees and 220 stakeholders. In addition, we had a survey study in Turkey and Sweden with more than 1,600 refugees. The project partners have produced in total 78 thematic country and comparative reports, 86 blog articles, 31 policy briefs and research posters, and 6 datasets and 2 survey databases during the lifetime of the project (40 months). In addition, RESPOND has in 11 countries organised various activities within the framework model of Migration Governance Networks to engage with stakeholders active in the field of migration and two Advice/Service hubs (in Turkey and Iraq) to provide legal and educational service to refugees living in transit conditions. RESPOND has organised two project conferences, online panel discussions and seminar series; a digital art exhibition; co-produced kino-eye videos with refugees and developed a documentary film; issued 6 project newsletters and created a rich, vibrant website and engage with various social media channels. All project outputs are accessible through the project’s website: www.respondmigration.com

Three years ago, when we started this project, our point of departure was to study migration from a holistic perspective at macro, meso and micro levels. This enabled us to understand the connections between policies, practices and experiences along the migration journey of individuals. Therefore, in different work packages we applied this methodological framework and studied all steps and dimensions of migration, including legal and policy frameworks of migration governance, border and protection regimes, reception and long-term integration of immigrants. Moreover, we also looked at the consequences of migration on Europeanization discourses. Looking back the primary contribution of this study is its foregrounding of the nexus between the individual, yet patterned experiences of refugees and the broader policy and legislative frameworks with which they interact. The three levels of analysis engaged in the RESPOND research show how legislation and policy filter down into processes of implementation and are then felt and experienced by refugees themselves.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

RESPOND has a comprehensive research scope with a well-integrated impact strategy. In terms of impact, the following points can be highlighted:
● Scientific impact: The project has been quite successful and productive in addressing the scientific community via presentations, publications at major conferences on the national and international level as well as through publications in edited volumes and peer reviewed journals.
● Policy impact of RESPOND is designed through Migration Governance Networks (MGNs). The project from the beginning aimed to engage with stakeholders in each country and communicated the research outputs (reports and policy briefs) with these actors.
● Societal impact: A critical component of the project’s research design was to give a voice to people who are the primary target groups of migration and asylum policies. Each of our country reports included extensive passages from our interviews with refugees. Introducing their accounts on the meaning of a particular set of policies to public discourse strengthens the position of these societal groups as active actors in debates on migration governance.

As for progress beyond the state of the art, the following activities can be mentioned:

● The MGN model brought together different stakeholders working in the field of migration and has been received positively by all stakeholders.
● The Advice Hub model aimed at reaching out to refugees and IDPs, providing them with legal and psychological counselling and facilitating voluntary efforts in organising educational activities for all ages. The implementation of this model in Turkey and Iraq created a synergy among stakeholders and end users. There is a willingness to continue this activity in Iraq beyond the lifetime of the project.
● The project’s Working paper series has published more than 85 articles and reports during the lifetime of the project. As part of the project’s legacy plan, Uppsala University will develop this to a special series under Uppsala University Press “Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis”.
● All country and comparative reports produced as part of project outputs are made instantly available to the public and disseminated widely through different social media channels. The team members have been involved in various publications (journal articles, special issues, edited volumes etc.) based on the research conducted within the framework of this project. Besides the project’s own edited volume which is in the process of publication, 8 other special issues/book projects are planned by the project team members.
● Te project has developed 6 datasets and 2 survey databases in open access format for further exploitation.
● The Consortium has developed a legacy plan to continue with the project website, working paper series, blog and social media channels.

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