Convergence and divergence: Immigration and Integration policies in a global world

Chair: Dr. Rut Bermejo

Co-Chair: Dr. Miryam Hazan

Immigration and integration policies comprise a multiplicity of areas, including issues related to citizenship, welfare state, cooperation to development with sending countries, international cooperation to manage flows of persons, deportation and others. How are advanced democracies coping with these issues? Is there the possibility of a coherent whole? Although there is a convergence tendency in immigration and integration policies, we also see policy divergence, as different countries take unexpected decisions that deviate from the general pattern. Particular attention will be paid to two areas of public policy research.

First, within the area of policy formulation and design, this panel attempts to make a conceptual and empirical progress with respect to prominent concepts in political science and public policy (learning, feedback, knowledge utilization, policy transfer, diffusion theory) that try to explain why immigration policies across the world have become similar or convergent, and under what conditions there is a space for divergence.

Second, another under researched question is that of implementation of immigration policies. What is the importance of implementation in convergence or divergence patterns? Many countries seem to experience difficulties in executing their policies. Recent studies point to an increasing variety of non-state actors participating in the implementation and unusual instruments and solutions that try to overcome previous difficulties.

Deadline for Abstracts/paper proposals: October 17, 2011. http://www.ipsa.org/events/congress/madrid2012/submit-abstractpaper-proposal

 Further details: Dr. Rut Bermejo  (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos). rut.bermejo@urjc.es