Theorizing Migration Policy: Is There a Third Way?

• Christina Boswell ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Edinburgh

     University of Edinburgh

     Reino Unido

     
• Localización: International migration review, ISSN 0197-9183, Vol. 41, Nº. 1, 2007, págs. 75-100
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This article critically reviews theories of migration policy according to two criteria: methodological rigor and explanatory plausibility. It finds that political economy accounts are theoretically robust, but at the price of oversimplification. Neo-institutional theories offer more sophisticated accounts, but fall short on a number of methodological and explanatory counts. As an alternative, this article suggests a theory focusing on the functional imperatives of the state in the area of migration, which shape its responses to societal interests and institutional structures.