Since the first section on immigration and asylum policy at the ECPR General Conference in Potsdam in 2009, immigration and asylum policy has continued to grow as a central area of political science research. The field is flourishing – new research centres are being established and programmes dedicated to migration are growing. In light of these exciting developments, the Migration Studies Unit (MSU) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) proposes a section on immigration and asylum policy. This session will draw together scholars from a range of social science fields interested in the central political challenges posed by increased migratory pressures. Panels will cover the full gamut of immigration and refugee policies – economic migration, family reunification and asylum policy. We seek papers not only from within Europe but also internationally. Panels on temporary as well as permanent migration are encouraged, as well as panels considering the impact of of the global financial crisis on push/pull factors, migrant return and remittances. Theoretical engagement with the broader discipline is necessary: How and to what extent can immigration studies dovetail with some of the major theoretical developments in political science – in particular historical institutionalism and rational choice theory? Methodologically, we are interested in work by scholars studying more quantitatively orientated fields of immigration research, such as attempts to measure and model immigration policy cross-nationally, as well as small-n studies of individual immigration states. This session will provide the opportunity to engage with leading immigration scholars in the field, across a range of sub-disciplines.
