Rational Actors, Passive and Helpless Victims, Neither, Both: EU Borders and the Drive to Migrate in the Horn of Africa

Abstract

This article argues that neither borders nor the ways in which migrants see them constitute significant deterrents to the migrants’ resolve to migrate. The argument is based on an investigation of migrants en route to Europe from the Horn of Africa and the ways in which they see EU external borders and how that contributes to the decision to migrate. The article advances critiques of rational choice models of migrant decision-making that are based mainly on economic factors and contributes to theoretical explanations of why some people in the Horn of Africa migrate irregularly, despite measures enforced by state authorities to curb their movement. The article draws on a qualitative thematic analysis of personal face-to-face interviews conducted with migrants from four countries in the Horn of Africa who were in Ethiopia at the time of the research. In the interviews, there was sufficient evidence that migrants had realistic perceptions of European borders and that life in Europe might not be rosy. But this did not dampen the resolve to migrate. Solutions other than those that inhibit movement but understand, are sensitive to and include the perceptions of migrants are more likely to effectively address challenges associated with irregular migration.

How migration information campaigns shape local perceptions and discourses of migration in Harar city, Ethiopia

“…One is that enhanced risk perception does not necessarily discourage people from trying to migrate irregularly. As research has shown, the target audience of migration‐information campaigns is well aware and informed about the risks of migration and life at places of destination (Bakewell & Sturridge, 2021; Nshimbi, 2021) Moreover, migrants and asylum seekers are far from being mere recipients of migration management discourses; they create and select different channels of information. The second limitation is that government measures to create jobs and provide education to prevent irregular migration are not sufficient to tackle the structural problems of unemployment and lack of opportunities.…”

What Is the Nexus between Migration and Mobility? A Framework to Understand the Interplay between Different Ideal Types of Human Movement

“…These forms of enablement between migration and mobility categories clearly intersect with social inequalities: not every migrant can mobilise past experiences to the same effect (Bolay, 2021;Nshimbi, 2021), and being a citizen of some countries can limit one's possibilities to move legally (Mau, 2010). Using the lenses of the MMN, we can better understand the interplay between regulations and the subjective dimension of being on the move.…”

Essays on the decision- making processes of irregularised migrants over the course of their migration trajectories

“…Research on (non-)participation in assisted return programmes (commonly termed Assisted Voluntary Return [AVR]) -which, in some contexts, is a key mode of return for irregularised migrants -has attributed varying weight to the role of conditions in the country of origin in return decisionmaking -likely due to differences in methodological approach -but seem to indicate that (perceived) conditions in the country of origin weigh strongly in decisions not to return . What emerges clearly from studies on the decision-making of (rejected) asylum-seekers in particular is that fear regarding -particularly security -conditions in the country of origin acts as a strong deterrent to return Müller-Funk, 2019;Nshimbi, 2021;. However, changing conditions in the country of origin can also dissipate or remove the original motivation(s) for asylum-seeking, thereby prompting a decision to return (Dubow & Kuschminder, 2021a).…”

“…Second, when it is received, information may be dismissed or ignored by migrants if it is considered unhelpful or unreliable . Third, even where accurate information about the costs and risks of restrictive policies are accepted by migrants, these may be deemed of minor significance in relation to other factors, including conditions in countries of origin, such as persecution, conflict, poverty and acute social pressures, and the related opportunities perceived in potential destination countries, such as labour demand, political rights and freedoms (Crawley & Hagen-Zanker, 2019;Nshimbi, 2021).…”