Czech Republic's and Sweden's approaches towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

Klára Bažantová, 333095 May 24th, 2014

Comparative Analysis of Security Policy (BSS 403)

Structure• 1. Introduction to the seminar work

• 2. Syrian refugees: Humanitarian Calamity

• 3. Research design

• 4. Theoretical background and sources

• 5. Step n.1: Needs and Problems - conceptualization of migration

• 6. Step n. 2: Conception and goals of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• 7. Step n. 3: Management and Institutions of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• 8. Step n. 4: Outcomes and evaluations of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• 9. Conclusion draft

Syrian refugees: Humanitarian Calamity

• Why Syrians? Present topic, totally different attitudes within the EU.

• Conflict in Syria: from March 2011 until now. “Humanitarian calamity of the century” (UNHCR High Commissioner 2013)

• 2,7 million of Syrian refugees especially in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt

• 340 000 asylum seeker in 2012 in the EU, mainly from Syria and Russian Federation (UNHCR 2014)

• Why the Czech Republic?

• increasing number of migrants

• critique by international NGOs

• Why Sweden? !

• 100 000 migrants/year, 15% of Swedish inhabitants are migrants. In 2013 1000 asylum seeker from Syria/month

• 1st country to offer asylum to migrants from Syria: “Every asylum seeker from Syria, who applies for asylum in Sweden, will be granted asylum” - Annie Hörnblad, spokeswoman of Ministry of Migration and Asylum Policy

Research design!

• Research Question: What are both similarities and differences among migration and asylum policy systems of the Czech Republic and Sweden?!

• Additional question: Which aspects of Swedish migration and asylum policy can be integrated into the Czech migration policy? Under which conditions can they be integrated? (practically oriented research)

• Method: comparative method, a systematic analysis of similarities and contrast among a small number of cases.

• Cases: Low level of abstraction (Sartori 1970)

• Form of comparison (Pelinka 2005): real category, in national space and in heterogenous context

• Time frame: synchronic comparison, starting in March 2011 on the eve of “Syrian revolution” and ending now, spring 2014

• Examination of migration policy as the analysis of political content

• Subjects of comparison: needs and the political problems, conception/program, goals, management, evaluation/outcomes (according to Ackerman 1995)

Theoretical background and sources

• Subjects of comparison: - needs and the political problems, conception/program, goals, management, evaluation/outcomes

• It is important to:

• 1.fully understand the logic, process and models of public policy as a complex round of cycles: Easton’s system theory in political science, W. Dunn: Public Policy Analysis - An Introduction

• 2. understand the conceptualization and securitization of migration: a) R. Lohrnmann: Migrant, Refugees and Insecurity: Current Threats to Peace?; b) M. Ibrahim: The Securitization of Migration: A Racial Discourse c) T. Balzacq: Security Practices

• 3. Analytical thinking and comparative analysis of security policy

• Sources: Official governmental documents as national strategies and conceptual documents, legal codes, online journals and decent daily news, NGOs' reports etc.

Step n.1: Needs and Problems - conceptualization of migration • definition of migration and asylum in the Czech Republic

and in Sweden

• securitization of migration by politics and media: migrants as threats to stability and welfare as public order, cultural identity, domestic political stability, labour market

• correlation with criminality, ethnic unrest, social unrest, threat of islamic fundamentalism

• normalizes derogations from human rights standards, number of deaths by drowing etc.

Step n. 2: Conception and goals of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• Specific goals of migration and asylum policy

• National and International legislative framework

• National Strategies, Conceptual documents and programs and other official documents

Step n. 3: Management and Institutions of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• Ministries and other governmental bodies

• other actors involved

• Management of migration and asylum policy

Step n. 4: Outcomes and evaluations of migration and asylum policy towards migrants from Syrian Arab Republic

• Governmental reports

• Academic reports

• INGOs' and NGOs' reports

• Media reports

Conclusion draft• I will understand and explain what are both similarities and

differences among migration and asylum policy systems of the Czech Republic and Sweden!

• In a wider context I will be able to answer the additional questions: Which aspects of Swedish migration and asylum policy can be integrated into the Czech migration policy? Under which conditions can they be integrated?

• economic rational model vs. critical security studies (different historical approach to migration, different form of migration etc.)

• I will think about the limitations to the comparison

Questions?Thank you for your interest

and attention.