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EU Asylum Policies

The Power of Strong Regulating States

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Authors:
  1. Natascha Zaun

    1. Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

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  • Makes a significant contribution to debates surrounding the refugee crisis
  • Explains how the EU can find potential solutions to this humanitarian disaster
  • Provides empirical, theoretical and methodological innovations

Part of the book series: Transformations of the State (TRST)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvi
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  2. Introduction: European Asylum Policies in Crisis

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 1-18

  3. A Theoretical Framework for the Study of EU Asylum Policy-Making

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 19-57

  4. EU Co-Operation, Asylum Policies and the Role of Strong Regulators

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 59-78

  5. EU Asylum Policies: A Case of Lowest Standard and Race to the Bottom Dynamics?

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 79-121

  6. Why EU Asylum Directives Exceed Lowest Common Denominator Standards

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 123-206

  7. Why There Is No Race to the Bottom Subsequent to EU Legislation

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 207-239

  8. Conclusion and Outlook: The Power of Strong Regulating States

    • Natascha Zaun
    Pages 241-260

  9. Back Matter

    Pages 261-315
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Keywords

About this book

This book fills a significant lacuna in our understanding of the refugee crisis by analyzing the dynamics that lie behind fifteen years of asylum policies in the European Union. It sheds light on why cooperation has led to reinforced refugee protection on paper but has failed to provide it in practice. Offering innovative empirical, theoretical and methodological research on this crucial topic, it argues that the different asylum systems and priorities of the various Member States explain the EU's lack of initiative in responding to this humanitarian emergency. The author demonstrates that the strong regulators of North-Western Europe have used their powerful bargaining positions to shape EU asylum policies decisively, which has allowed them to impose their will on Member States in South-Eastern Europe. These latter countries, having barely made a mark on EU policies, are now facing significant difficulties in implementing them. The EU will only identify potential solutions to the crisis, the author concludes, when it takes these disparities into account and establishes a functioning common refugee policy. This novel work will appeal to students and scholars of politics, immigration and asylum in the EU.




Reviews

“The present book provides a novel and empirically convincing account of why the EU asylum system was not fit for purpose during the refugee crisis. … the book provides an innovative analytical and empirical approach to understanding the regulation of asylum at the European level.” (Ingi Iusmen, Journal of Common Market Studies JCMS, Vol. 56 (5), July, 2018)

“EU Asylum Policies challenges the view that a member state agreement on some reallocation mechanism is the key to dealing with the unprecedented inflow of asylum-seekers and refugees. The book is a must read for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the EU’s failure to respond to the refugee challenge.” (Tanja A. Börzel, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany)

“In this excellent book Natascha Zaun explains Europe’s elusive quest for a common asylum policy and why—contrary to conventional wisdom—this quest has not led to a “race to the bottom” and the weakening of asylum standards across the EU, even though the current migration crisis has exposed the fatal flaws of the EU refugee regime.” (James F. Hollifield, Southern Methodist University, USA)

“Zaun’s book constitutes one of the best informed and insightful treatments of this important, yet understudied, EU policy area.  It will greatly benefit anybody who is interested in better understanding the politics ofasylum in Europe.” (Eiko Thielemann, London School of Economics & Political Science, UK)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Natascha Zaun

About the author

Natascha Zaun is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, UK. 

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: EU Asylum Policies

  • Book Subtitle: The Power of Strong Regulating States

  • Authors: Natascha Zaun

  • Series Title: Transformations of the State

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39829-7

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-39828-0Published: 06 March 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-81976-1Published: 20 July 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-39829-7Published: 22 February 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVI, 315

  • Number of Illustrations: 5 b/w illustrations, 3 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Social Policy, European Union Politics, European Politics, Migration

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