Innovative Concepts for Alternative Migration Policies : Ten Innovative Approaches to the Challenges of Migration in the 21st Century

Abstract

Ten Innovative Approaches to the Challenges of Migration in the 21st Century michael jandl (ed.)A m s t e r d a m U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s RePoRts imiscoe Innovative Concepts for Alternative Migration Policies IMISCOE (International Migration, Integration and Social Cohesion)IMISCOE is a European Commission-funded Network of Excellence of more than 350 scientists from various research institutes that specialise in migration and integration issues in Europe. These researchers, who come from all branches of the economic and social sciences, the humanities and law, implement an integrated, multidisciplinary and internationally comparative research programme that focuses on Europe's migration and integration challenges.Within the programme, existing research is integrated and new research lines are developed to address issues crucial to European-level policymaking and provide a theory-based design to implement new research.The publication programme of IMISCOE is based on five distinct publication profiles, designed to make its research and results available to scientists, policymakers and the public at large. High-quality manuscripts written by -or in cooperation with -IMISCOE members are published in these five series. An editorial committee coordinates the review process of the manuscripts. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. ContentsForeword 9Introduction and overview 11 Michael Jandl, ICMPD ForewordTowards the end of 2005, extensive media coverage of the tragic events in Ceuta and Melilla, where several hundred desperate but determined migrants had stormed the protective fences of these tiny Spanish exclaves to get into EU territory, reminded us once again that traditional mechanisms of migration management have run into severe trouble and that new, innovative concepts for the regulation of migration are called for. Yet, new ideas for regulating regular migration, dealing with irregular migration and providing international protection to those in need of it remain elusive and untested. While several innovative concepts have been suggested over the past few years -such as the 'People Flow' approach spearheaded by Theo Veenkamp, the 'Migration Tax' proposal by Jagdhish Baghwati or the 'Auctioning of work permits' suggested by Thomas Straubhaar -there is no serious discussion of these either at the policy level or among migration researchers.To address this yawning gap between the daily realities of migration events, shaping the policy agendas of governments around the worldand the analytical world of migration researchers concerned with scientific description and explanation rather than prescription and advice -I decided to launch a challenge to those esteemed colleagues willing to push...