Loading

Public attitudes to asylum and refugee policies: What are the implications for policy-making?

Following the large increase in the number of refugees and other migrants applying for asylum in Europe in 2015-16, EU Member States have been engaged in highly divisive debates about how to reform the EU’s asylum and refugee policies. To debate and decide on competing ideas about policy reform, it is crucial that we understand better the public’s preferences for the various different dimensions of asylum and refugee policies. What asylum and refugee policies do Europeans want, and why? How does the design of asylum and refugee policies affect public support and opposition? How do the answers to these questions vary across European countries? And what are the implications for policy debates in Europe and beyond?

MEDAM researchers have analyzed public attitudes to asylum and refugee policies in eight EU Member States: Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Sweden. Their findings show remarkable similarities in public policy preferences across European countries: Europeans want to protect refugees but prefer a policy approach that sets limits and conditions. And as long as there are elements of control, the findings show that even individuals with low trust in European institutions can systematically support policies that provide protection and assistance to refugees.

The aim of this Global Table is to discuss the available evidence on public preferences for asylum and refugee policies and consider the implications for policy-making. The debate will also shed light on how Europeans’ attitudes to asylum and refugee protection compare to public policy preferences in other regions of the world, and address the implications for non-European G20 countries.

Policy Briefs
Climate-Induced Displacement and Migration: A Proposed Framework for G20 Collaboration
Sampurna Sarkar - WWF-India, Anamitra Anurag Danda - WWF-India and Senior Visiting Fellow
Creative jobs will drive the post-pandemic world of work
Prateek Kukreja - Indian Council for Research on International Economics Relations (ICRIER) India, Rehan Kunal Jagota - Indian Council for Research on International Economics Relations (ICRIER) India
Equitable Growth in the 21st Century: Addressing Migration Challenges through G20 Multilateralism
Nidhi Piplani Kapur - South East Technological University, Mrunal Sule - Symbiosis Centre for European Studies, Viddhi Thakker - Paris
Social Inclusion in Cities 3.0
Michael Cohen - Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment
Intersecting Vol.11
Ramiro Albrieu - CIPPEC, Nicolas J.A. Buchoud - Global Solutions Initiative, Michael Cohen - Milano School of Policy, Management, and Environment, Rainer Kern - Enjoy Jazz Festival, Shuva Raha - Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW)
Delivering on the promise of immigration: How Canadian businesses can promote immigration equity and help achieve sustainable economic growth
Ellen Corkery Dooher - PwC Canada, Tyler Totman - PwC Canada, Ilija Meseldzija - PwC Canada, Alexandra McCalden - PwC Canada, Ashintya Singh - PwC Canada
Improving Immigrants’ Integration in Host Countries
Gianluca Grimalda - Kiel Institute for the World Economy,
Investment in Social Capital and Migrant Labour as a Solution for Population Ageing
Wilfred Lunga - Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa
Role of G20 in Designing Immigration Policies to Support Population Aging
Güven Sak - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Omar Kadkoy - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV)
Barriers to access to education for migrant children
Wilfred Lunga - Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa
Sustainable Way of Social Integration: Job Generation – How to Estimate and Compare the Cost of Employing One More Refugee?
Güven Sak - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Omar Kadkoy - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Murat Kenanoğlu - Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey
Keeping the Knowledge Flowing: Policy Recommendations for Supporting High-skill Migration
Charles P. Martin-Shields - German Development Institute (DIE),
Getting into School: Looking for Indicators of Integration
Güven Sak - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Murat Kenanoğlu - Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, Omar Kadkoy - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV),
Regional Integration and Migration between Low-and-Middle-Income Countries: Regional initiatives need to be strengthened
Claas Schneiderheinze - Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), Matteo Villa - Istituto per gli studi di politica internazionale (ISPI), Matthias Lücke - Kiel Institute for the World Economy
Building Global Governance for ‘Climate Refugees’
R. Andreas Kraemer - Ecologic Institute, Berlin (Germany)
Forced Migrants: Labour Market Integration and Entrepreneurship
Güven Sak - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Omar Kadkoy - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Murat Kenanoğlu - Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey,
More Financial Burden-Sharing for Developing Countries that Host Refugees
Matthias Lücke - Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Claas Schneiderheinze - Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
Access to education for migrant and displaced students in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic: Challenges and good practices for reducing inequality
Andrea Escobar Vilá - Fundación Empresarios por la Educación, Denisse Gelber - Laboratorio de Investigación e Innovación en Educación para América Latina y el Caribe, SUMMA, Carlos Maldonado Valera - Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, CEPAL, Javiera Muñoz - Consultant Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, CEPAL, Belky Ríos - Fundación Empresarios por la Educación, Diego Alejandro Sánchez - Fundación Empresarios por la Educación, Daniela Trucco - Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe, CEPAL
Developmental social protection for refugees in the aftermath of Covid-19
Maria Gabriella Breglia - University of Rome Tor Vergata, Furio Camillo Rosati - University of Rome Tor Vergata
Post-pandemic economic recovery in developing countries: The return migrant community as a driving force
Nikhil Panicker - Faculty of Arts, Design and Social Sciences, Northumbria University; and The International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD), S. Irudaya Rajan - The International Institute of Migration and Development (IIMAD)
Reducing vulnerability and precarity of low-skilled women in short-term migration from the global south: Key policy recommendations for the G20
Sawsan Abdulrahim - American University Beirut, Zahid ul Arefin Choudhury - University of Dhaka, Hagar El Didi - International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Nazmun Ratna - Lincoln University, Claudia Ringler - International Food Policy Research Institute, Joyce Wu - University of New South Wales
Vaccinations for migrants and refugees during and after Covid-19
Silvia Declich - National Center for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Maria Grazia Dente - National Centre for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Giulia De Ponte - National Centre for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Pier Luigi Lopalco - Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Maurizio Marceca - Department of Public Health and Infectious Diseases, “Sapienza” University of Rome, Giulia Marchetti - National Centre for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Maria Laura Russo - Italian Society of Migration Medicine (SIMM), Lara Tavoschi - Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Maria Elena Tosti - National Centre for Global Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità
Towards a triple win: Transforming circular migration into circular skill mobility schemes
Afaf Rahim ERC - Virides Project (VUB), Glenn Rayp - Ghent University and UNU-CRIS, Ilse Ruyssen - Ghent University and UNU-CRIS
Supporting Diasporas during and after Covid-19. Improved roles for global, regional and local governance
Hanne Beirens - MPI Europe, Oleg Chirița - ICMPD, Marta Foresti - ODI Europe, Matthias Luecke - Kiel Institute for the World Economy, Linguère Mously Mbaye - African Development Bank, Aurélie Sgro - EU Global Diaspora Facility, ICMPD, Matteo Villa - Istituto per gli studi di politica internazionale (ISPI)
Promoting economic and social inclusion of migrant workers
Haya Al-Dajani - Mohammed Bin Salman College for Business and Entrepreneurship (MBSC), Marija Babovic - University of Belgrade, Dinah Bennett - Enterprise Development, Women’s Economic Imperative, Simona Formica - NoGap, Anne Jenkins - Women’s Economic Imperative, Fabio Masini - Roma Tre University, Ernestine Ning - Coventry University, Sandy Onyalo - Ujeengo Global Community, Smita Premchander - Sampark, Krupa Sriram - Sampark, Margo Thomas - Women’s Economic Imperative
Environment, migration and urbanisation: Challenges and solutions for low- and middle-income countries
Roman Hoffmann - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Raya Muttarak - International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
Education for migrant youths
Sara Lechtenberg-Kasten - King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC), Tim Frazier - Georgetown University, Sarah Bakhsh - Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University
Local leadership: Preparing for the future of work and fostering immigrant inclusivity
Omar Kadkoy - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Güven Sak - The Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV)
Decent jobs and inclusive social policies in home countries: Key factors for limiting illegal migration
Amal El Ouassif - Policy Center for the New South, Tayeb Ghazi - Policy Center for the New South
Offering virtual consultative services to improve lives of refugees awaiting resettlement at camps
Amani Alkofide - King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, Viqaruddin Mohammed - King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre
Refugees and host economies
Yusuf Emre Akgündüz - Sabanci University, Abdurrahman B. Aydemir - Sabanci University, Murat Güray Kirdar - Bogazici University, Semih Tümen - TED University
Integration of migrants as a three-way process and its implications on the future of training and education
Murat Kenanoğlu - Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey, Sibel Güven - Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey
Assessing trends in global youth immigrants in selected countries of Africa and Asia
Oluyemi O. Fayomi - Admiralty University of Nigeria, Oluwayemisi A. Adepoju - Westland University, Adeniyi T. Adetunji - Admiralty University of Nigeria, Maryam Sali - National Universities Commission
The G2020 protocol on forced migration: A new approach to solve the burden-sharing problem of forced migration and ensure lives in safety and dignity
Manuel Schubert - Behavia – Behavioral Public Policy and Economics, Fahad A. Alsharif - King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS)

Register for Updates

Would you like to receive updates on the Global Solutions Initiative, upcoming events, G7 and G20-related developments and the future of multilateralism? Then subscribe here!

1 You hereby agree that the personal data provided may be used for the purpose of updates on the Global Solutions Initiative by the Global Solutions Initiative Foundation gemeinnützige GmbH. Your consent is revocable at any time (by e-mail to contact@global-solutions-initiative.org or to the contact data given in the imprint). The update is sent in accordance with the privacy policy and to advertise the Global Solutions Initiative’s own products and services.