Lena Laube | Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn (original) (raw)
Articles by Lena Laube
Comparative Migration Studies, 2019
The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the Eur... more The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the European Union has agreed upon a highly selective visa policy in 2001, most neighbouring countries are (newly) confronted with visa requirements for short-term travel. Because of this standardization of travel opportunities, visa-free travel to the European Union has become a rare and valuable political asset both for third country nationals and their governments. Consequently, visa liberalization became a major issue in bilateral negotiations with the EU over cooperation in migration management and is frequently used as an incentive by the EU institutions. However, the EU is not the only cooperating partner that strategically engages in border and migration diplomacy. As the case studies of Moldova, Morocco and Turkey show, all governments involved use issues of mobility regulation as a foreign policy tool, though with varying success in regard to visa liberalization.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2015
While visa policies are the major instrument for regulating and controlling the global flow of pe... more While visa policies are the major instrument for regulating and controlling the global flow of people, little is known about how they have changed over time. Accordingly, scholars have expressed the need for large-N datasets which cover more than one point in time. This article takes up this challenge and presents a for the first time a global overview of the changes in visa waiver policies based on a newly created database containing the visa waiver policies of over 150 countries for 1969 and 2010. We find that, on average, visa-free mobility has in-creased over the past 40 years. However, not everybody has benefited from these developments. In fact, visa waivers are increasingly unequally divided: While citizens of OECD countries and rich countries have gained mobility rights, mobility rights for other regions have stagnated or even diminished, in particular for citizens from African countries. Overall, we find a clear bifurcation in mobility rights, leading to a ‘global mobility divide’.
In: Bettina Bruns, Dorit Happ und Helga Zirchner (eds.) European Neighbourhood Policy. Geopolitics between Integration and Security. 2016. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan., 2016
When the Arab Spring changed the political and societal landscape of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, ma... more When the Arab Spring changed the political and societal landscape of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, many young migrants took the chance to leave their countries. They headed north to the island of Lampedusa, to Greece, Italy and other places along Europe’s shores (see Friese, 2014). Although welcoming the political change at that time, European governments began to fear the impact these upheavals in the Arab world would have on the states of the European Union. Thus, it became obvious that, up to that time and thanks to the cooperation between the South European EU member states and the North African Mediterranean countries, border control tasks had been successfully delegated. Because of increased border crossings to the Schengen area, France first closed its borders to Italy for a couple of weeks in 2011, and even Denmark and Austria took the chance and reinforced their border controls towards the respective Southern countries of Germany and Italy.
After criticising a lack of rescue capacities and an increase in border deaths at the maritime EU... more After criticising a lack of rescue capacities and an increase in border deaths at the maritime EU external borders, search and rescue (SAR) NGOs have been sending out vessels since 2014. While the responsibility for SAR lies with the coastal states, we start from the assumption that these NGOs have now become part of the border regime. They pursue different activities to make the border regime, in their view, more humane and in line with European legal and moral obligations, and aim to mobilise a broader network supporting their activities. We observe a variety of actors-including churches, political actors, and civil society organisations-contributing to controversial public debates on their intervention. In our ZivDem project, we argue that various positions and conflicts around the reception of irregular migrants and refugees in Europe crystallise in the dissent on private SAR operations. In this research essay, we present a comparative research design to show how to analyse this dissent and how it plays out concretely in public debates in different member states. We focus-in a first approach-on recent events surrounding SAR NGOs and reactions in Italy and Germany to gain insights into the debates and reflect on emerging lines of conflict. Both national and transnational dimensions are taken into account. We conclude with the hypothesis that ultimately the debates are about different visions of European democracy.
The externalization of border control has been a central feature of the European Union’s (EU) bor... more The externalization of border control has been a central feature of the European Union’s (EU) bordering strategy over the last three decades. However, in recent years there have been several challenges and contestations of this strategy. The short but notable breakdown of external border control during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis raised awareness that the EU relies heavily on cooperation with countries in the wider region. Moreover, recent negotiations by the EU with these third countries over cooperative migration management have involved considerable concessions and have been marked by new types of responses from the countries concerned. To make sense of these
new dynamics in international cooperation on border control, the current paper combines the concept of “migration diplomacy” (İçduygu and Üstübici 2014; Adamson and Tsourapas 2019a) with recent sociological accounts of the side-effects of globalization and modernization (Beck 2016; Lessenich 2016). In the logic of externalization, destination countries outsource border controls to other countries that are expected to function as “gatekeepers” (Wallace 1996). This political strategy has ultimately (though inadvertently) strengthened the position of so-called “transit states” in engaging in migration diplomacy vis-á-vis EU member states, thus resulting in a new phase of contested externalization.
The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the Eur... more The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the European Union has agreed upon a highly selective visa policy in 2001, most neighbouring countries are (newly) confronted with visa requirements for short-term travel. Because of this standardization of travel opportunities, visa-free travel to the European Union has become a rare and valuable political asset both for third country nationals and their governments. Consequently, visa liberalization became a major issue in bilateral negotiations with the EU over cooperation in migration management and is frequently used as an incentive by the EU institutions. However, the EU is not the only cooperating partner that strategically engages in border and migration diplomacy. As the case studies of Moldova, Morocco and Turkey show, all governments involved use issues of mobility regulation as a foreign policy tool, though with varying success in regard to visa liberalization.
In the international field of visa policies, states observe how other states act in terms of glob... more In the international field of visa policies, states observe how other states act in terms of global mobility control or the facilitation of wanted cross-border mobility. But towards whom do they orient themselves? And what drives nation states to cooperate with others and grant their citizens visa-free travel or not? To tackle these questions, we conceptualise visa waiver agreements as positive relations between two states. A new data collection ‘Visa Network Data’ (1969/2010) provides information on all visa waiver agreements worldwide. By means of social network analysis (blockmodelling), we analyse the global structure of the network of nations in this policy field as well as its change over time. In the centre of the network we find evidence for the existence of a global model at which many others orient themselves. However, a second distinct position in the network shows a high degree of stability: Autocratic states that do not want to be involved in the exchange of these bilateral relations.
More and more, management and control of immigration is conducted in an exterritorial form that i... more More and more, management and control of immigration is conducted in an exterritorial form that is beyond the territory of destination countries. The visa procedure in embassies and the reliance on carrier sanctions as well as the cooperation with countries of transit or within the EU’s Schengen area aim at conducting control before migration flows reach the respective country of destination. As all these control practices require the delegation of control measures, the paper identifies four types of exterritorial migration control by relying on a principal-agent framework and develops an analytical frame for studying this type of migration management. Within the visa procedure, exterritorialization is achieved by delegation between different agencies and ministries of countries of immigration. The delegation of control to transport enterprises enables exterritorialization by incorporating private actors. Delegation between sovereign nation states is the mechanism for both the cooperation with countries of transit as well as within the EU’s Schengen area. From a principal-agent perspective, the paper analyzes the logics of delegation, the actors’ rationales as well as the resulting costs of shifting migration control to places beyond national territories.
Ethnicities
Liberal cosmopolitanism provides for a set of norms that calls for the openness of borders. Freed... more Liberal cosmopolitanism provides for a set of norms that calls for the openness of borders. Freedom of movement, equality in opportunity and hospitality define a liberal framework for a state’s ruling over the access of foreigners to the territory. However, in states’ execution of border and immigration control these normative ideals seem not to apply. Accounts of border and immigration policy and discourse document a bias towards exclusion, restriction, and securitization. It looks as if this normative political theory has no bearing on the real world. This is the starting point for an exploration into the public discourse on liberal cosmopolitan norms and the border. The study finds that most collective actors consider the application of the norms to be utopian. Still, they heavily draw on these norms as a means to critique domestic policies that attempt to regulate global mobility. These are considered to be morally wrong or insufficient for providing equality in opportunities, s...
The fall of the Iron Curtain and the border regime of the European Union have changed perceptions... more The fall of the Iron Curtain and the border regime of the European Union have changed perceptions of borders. This study compares border narratives on two Eastern borders in Austria and Finland in order to find out how such narratives picture the changing functions of the borders. The qualitative data gathered from interviews with border policy actors in both countries reveals that the shared narrative of the Iron Curtain is in the process of being substituted by a narrative which suggests a “border for the people”, a border managed according to the border‐crosser's demands. However, this emphasis on mobility depends on the section of the border the interviewee focuses on. Land borders are connected with the classical security and control functions of borders to stop unwanted border crossings. Yet, the border crossing points are meant to enable and encourage wanted flows. The same border can have very different functions, depending on where the observer is focusing. Analytically, those differing foci have to be distinguished in order to better interpret border narratives.1
co-authored by Steffen Mau, Christof Roos and Sonja Wrobel, 2008
The article addresses the changes of borders and border controls in the OECD-world and identifies... more The article addresses the changes of borders and border controls in the OECD-world and identifies three major transformations of the border-regimes. Contemporary border regimes differentiate more and more between particular groups of people, facilitating movement for some, while excluding others from mobility (selectivity). Border control is framed in international cooperation between states and non-state actors (internationalization). Control measures are dislocated from (the entry points to) the state territory taking place at spaces outside the actual territory of the state (exterritorialization). These developments do not suggest a disappearance of borders, but rather a fundamental transformation of the relation between territoriality and state control.
Books by Lena Laube
Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzuri... more Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzurichten. International vergleichend untersucht Lena Laube, wo heute Grenzkontrollen in einer entgrenzten Welt zu finden sind. Ihre Studie beleuchtet damit einen wichtigen Aspekt globalisierter Politik: die Exterritorialisierung von Grenzen. Begründungen staatlicher Akteure für diesen Wandel geben Einblick in die staatliche Strategie, die Mobilität von Personen jenseits der eigenen Territorien zu steuern. Dabei zielt die Verlagerung der Kontrollorte nicht nur auf Abschottung, sondern auch - gerade in Europa - auf Freizügigkeit gegenüber willkommenen Personen.
State borders are seen as institutions that regulate cross-border mobility and determine peoples'... more State borders are seen as institutions that regulate cross-border mobility and determine peoples' chances to travel, work, and study across the globe. This book looks at how global mobility is defined and regulated by the borders of liberal states. The central question is whether borders have become more permissive or more restrictive. In examining border-regime change over the past forty years, the authors find that chances for mobility are increasingly unequal. The new border arrangements define ever greater freedom of mobility for some groups and heavily restrict mobility for others. The authors assess changes in the selectivity of border policies over time and the different means by which such selectivity is enforced.
'A fresh and innovative comparative perspective with historical depth, this accessible book builds upon the-state-of-the-art to ask key questions about state borders in the OECD world today: who is excluded by these 'semi-permeable filters,' why, how and by whom?' - Virginie Guiraudon
'This latest work emerging out of the prodigious Bremen School of State Transformation shows that state borders do not disappear in an age of globalization. Instead, borders become more selective, open to a courted few, but closed to the vast majority of humankind. With theoretical sophistication and methodological rigor, this excellent book shows better than any other book I know how states control mobility in our fast-changing world.' - Christian Joppke
Papers by Lena Laube
Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung
Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso st... more Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso steht die Debatte um eine Demokratisierung der Fluchtforschung selbst erst am Anfang. Der folgende Beitrag bringt eine Auswahl an Ansätzen aus Politischer Philosophie und empirischer Sozialwissenschaft miteinander ins Gespräch, die zur Bearbeitung dieser Problemstellung beitragen können. Im Zentrum der Auseinandersetzungen stehen Fragen nach der politischen Exklusion Geflüchteter, nach den Formen ihrer politischen Partizipation sowie nach den (Un-)Möglichkeiten, die wissenschaftliche Beschäftigung mit dem Thema Flucht selbst partizipativer und damit demokratischer zu gestalten. Wir argumentieren, dass das Wechselverhältnis von Demokratie und Flucht nur im Dialog verschiedener Disziplinen und methodischer Herangehensweisen angemessen bearbeitet werden kann.
Die Internationalisierung von Hochschulsystemen, genauer von Forschung und Lehre durch internatio... more Die Internationalisierung von Hochschulsystemen, genauer von Forschung und Lehre durch internationalen Austausch, zählt zu den Kernanliegen deutscher Wissenschaftspolitik. Entsprechend ist dieses Feld durch heterogene Akteure der Wissensgenerierung und -vermittlung und durch Wettbewerb zwischen innen-, entwicklungs-, und außenpolitische Interessen geprägt. Nationale Förderorganisationen nehmen in diesem transnational geprägten Feld eine prominente Rolle ein, z.B. der Deutsche Akademischen Austausch Dienst (DAAD).
Mit Blick auf die Förderung des akademischen Austauschs von Studierenden und WissenschaftlerInnen, gehen wir von der These aus, dass für diese internationale Bildungsarbeit transnationale Positionierungen zwischen Wissenschaft, lokalen Bildungsstrukturen und der auswärtigen Politik zentrale Herausforderungen sind. Diese lassen sich insbesondere anhand der alltäglichen Arbeit von DAAD-LektorInnen im Ausland veranschaulichen.
Mittels narrativer Interviews mit DAAD-LektorInnen wird im Forschungsprojekt die konkrete Arbeit vor Ort (Lehre von Deutsch als Fremdsprache an Universitäten, Repräsentation des deutschen Hochschulwesens und Beratung bzw. Anwerbung von StudieninteressentInnen sowie deutschen Hochschulen mit Kooperationsinteressen) in den Blick genommen. Zudem interessiert uns das Selbstverständnis der LektorInnen als zentrale Akteure der internationalen Bildungsarbeit und ihre Strategien im Umgang mit unterschiedlichen Rollenerwartungen.
LektorInnen agieren entlang vielfältiger Schnittstellen zwischen Wissenschaft, Hochschullehre, lokalen Strukturen und Politik, die wir konzeptionell als Verknüpfungspunkte und Kontakte mittels Methoden der sozialen Netzwerkanalyse untersuchen.
Das Projekt zielt auf die Beantwortung folgender Fragen: Wie definieren Befragte ihre Position an der Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft, Hochschullehre und Politik im transnationalen Kontext? Was sehen sie als ihre Aufgabe hinsichtlich der Internationalisierung der Hochschulsysteme? Welche Position nimmt die Arbeit des DAAD als Teil der auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik im Feld der deutschen Mittlerorganisationen ein? Wie gestaltet sich vor dem Hintergrund einer restriktiven Einwanderungspolitik Deutschlands die Arbeit des DAADs, der die akademische Mobilität aus allen Regionen der Welt fördern soll?
Gesellschaft unter Spannung. Verhandlungen des 40. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2020, Sep 27, 2021
Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung
Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso st... more Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso steht die Debatte um eine Demokratisierung der Fluchtforschung selbst erst am Anfang. Der folgende Beitrag bringt eine Auswahl an Ansätzen aus Politischer Philosophie und empirischer Sozialwissenschaft miteinander ins Gespräch, die zur Bearbeitung dieser Problemstellung beitragen können. Im Zentrum der Auseinandersetzungen stehen Fragen nach der politischen Exklusion Geflüchteter, nach den Formen ihrer politischen Partizipation sowie nach den (Un-)Möglichkeiten, die wissenschaftliche Beschäftigung mit dem Thema Flucht selbst partizipativer und damit demokratischer zu gestalten. Wir argumentieren, dass das Wechselverhältnis von Demokratie und Flucht nur im Dialog verschiedener Disziplinen und methodischer Herangehensweisen angemessen bearbeitet werden kann.
Ausgeschlossen. Staatsbürgerschaft. Staatenlosigkeit und Exil, 2018
Beziehungsgeflechten wohnen Ungleichverteilungen inne. Entlang Ansatzen der Weltgesellschaft, der... more Beziehungsgeflechten wohnen Ungleichverteilungen inne. Entlang Ansatzen der Weltgesellschaft, der Small World Studies und empirischen Beitragen der transnationalen Studien explorieren wir die Bedeutung von geographischer Nahe fur das Vorhandensein von transnationalen Beziehungen. Im Spannungsverhaltnis zwischen theoretischer Diskussion und empirischer Betrachtung skizzieren wir erste Ideen fur die forschungsleitende Perspektive der „transnationalen Nachbarschaft in der Weltgesellschaft“.
The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop “Studying Migrati... more The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop “Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis”. It explains why there is a need to study migration policies across disciplines, includes a short note on the current literature, and provides a look back at the workshop.
Comparative Migration Studies, 2019
The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the Eur... more The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the European Union has agreed upon a highly selective visa policy in 2001, most neighbouring countries are (newly) confronted with visa requirements for short-term travel. Because of this standardization of travel opportunities, visa-free travel to the European Union has become a rare and valuable political asset both for third country nationals and their governments. Consequently, visa liberalization became a major issue in bilateral negotiations with the EU over cooperation in migration management and is frequently used as an incentive by the EU institutions. However, the EU is not the only cooperating partner that strategically engages in border and migration diplomacy. As the case studies of Moldova, Morocco and Turkey show, all governments involved use issues of mobility regulation as a foreign policy tool, though with varying success in regard to visa liberalization.
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2015
While visa policies are the major instrument for regulating and controlling the global flow of pe... more While visa policies are the major instrument for regulating and controlling the global flow of people, little is known about how they have changed over time. Accordingly, scholars have expressed the need for large-N datasets which cover more than one point in time. This article takes up this challenge and presents a for the first time a global overview of the changes in visa waiver policies based on a newly created database containing the visa waiver policies of over 150 countries for 1969 and 2010. We find that, on average, visa-free mobility has in-creased over the past 40 years. However, not everybody has benefited from these developments. In fact, visa waivers are increasingly unequally divided: While citizens of OECD countries and rich countries have gained mobility rights, mobility rights for other regions have stagnated or even diminished, in particular for citizens from African countries. Overall, we find a clear bifurcation in mobility rights, leading to a ‘global mobility divide’.
In: Bettina Bruns, Dorit Happ und Helga Zirchner (eds.) European Neighbourhood Policy. Geopolitics between Integration and Security. 2016. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan., 2016
When the Arab Spring changed the political and societal landscape of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, ma... more When the Arab Spring changed the political and societal landscape of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, many young migrants took the chance to leave their countries. They headed north to the island of Lampedusa, to Greece, Italy and other places along Europe’s shores (see Friese, 2014). Although welcoming the political change at that time, European governments began to fear the impact these upheavals in the Arab world would have on the states of the European Union. Thus, it became obvious that, up to that time and thanks to the cooperation between the South European EU member states and the North African Mediterranean countries, border control tasks had been successfully delegated. Because of increased border crossings to the Schengen area, France first closed its borders to Italy for a couple of weeks in 2011, and even Denmark and Austria took the chance and reinforced their border controls towards the respective Southern countries of Germany and Italy.
After criticising a lack of rescue capacities and an increase in border deaths at the maritime EU... more After criticising a lack of rescue capacities and an increase in border deaths at the maritime EU external borders, search and rescue (SAR) NGOs have been sending out vessels since 2014. While the responsibility for SAR lies with the coastal states, we start from the assumption that these NGOs have now become part of the border regime. They pursue different activities to make the border regime, in their view, more humane and in line with European legal and moral obligations, and aim to mobilise a broader network supporting their activities. We observe a variety of actors-including churches, political actors, and civil society organisations-contributing to controversial public debates on their intervention. In our ZivDem project, we argue that various positions and conflicts around the reception of irregular migrants and refugees in Europe crystallise in the dissent on private SAR operations. In this research essay, we present a comparative research design to show how to analyse this dissent and how it plays out concretely in public debates in different member states. We focus-in a first approach-on recent events surrounding SAR NGOs and reactions in Italy and Germany to gain insights into the debates and reflect on emerging lines of conflict. Both national and transnational dimensions are taken into account. We conclude with the hypothesis that ultimately the debates are about different visions of European democracy.
The externalization of border control has been a central feature of the European Union’s (EU) bor... more The externalization of border control has been a central feature of the European Union’s (EU) bordering strategy over the last three decades. However, in recent years there have been several challenges and contestations of this strategy. The short but notable breakdown of external border control during the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis raised awareness that the EU relies heavily on cooperation with countries in the wider region. Moreover, recent negotiations by the EU with these third countries over cooperative migration management have involved considerable concessions and have been marked by new types of responses from the countries concerned. To make sense of these
new dynamics in international cooperation on border control, the current paper combines the concept of “migration diplomacy” (İçduygu and Üstübici 2014; Adamson and Tsourapas 2019a) with recent sociological accounts of the side-effects of globalization and modernization (Beck 2016; Lessenich 2016). In the logic of externalization, destination countries outsource border controls to other countries that are expected to function as “gatekeepers” (Wallace 1996). This political strategy has ultimately (though inadvertently) strengthened the position of so-called “transit states” in engaging in migration diplomacy vis-á-vis EU member states, thus resulting in a new phase of contested externalization.
The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the Eur... more The paper traces the crucial role of visa policies in externalizing border control. Since the European Union has agreed upon a highly selective visa policy in 2001, most neighbouring countries are (newly) confronted with visa requirements for short-term travel. Because of this standardization of travel opportunities, visa-free travel to the European Union has become a rare and valuable political asset both for third country nationals and their governments. Consequently, visa liberalization became a major issue in bilateral negotiations with the EU over cooperation in migration management and is frequently used as an incentive by the EU institutions. However, the EU is not the only cooperating partner that strategically engages in border and migration diplomacy. As the case studies of Moldova, Morocco and Turkey show, all governments involved use issues of mobility regulation as a foreign policy tool, though with varying success in regard to visa liberalization.
In the international field of visa policies, states observe how other states act in terms of glob... more In the international field of visa policies, states observe how other states act in terms of global mobility control or the facilitation of wanted cross-border mobility. But towards whom do they orient themselves? And what drives nation states to cooperate with others and grant their citizens visa-free travel or not? To tackle these questions, we conceptualise visa waiver agreements as positive relations between two states. A new data collection ‘Visa Network Data’ (1969/2010) provides information on all visa waiver agreements worldwide. By means of social network analysis (blockmodelling), we analyse the global structure of the network of nations in this policy field as well as its change over time. In the centre of the network we find evidence for the existence of a global model at which many others orient themselves. However, a second distinct position in the network shows a high degree of stability: Autocratic states that do not want to be involved in the exchange of these bilateral relations.
More and more, management and control of immigration is conducted in an exterritorial form that i... more More and more, management and control of immigration is conducted in an exterritorial form that is beyond the territory of destination countries. The visa procedure in embassies and the reliance on carrier sanctions as well as the cooperation with countries of transit or within the EU’s Schengen area aim at conducting control before migration flows reach the respective country of destination. As all these control practices require the delegation of control measures, the paper identifies four types of exterritorial migration control by relying on a principal-agent framework and develops an analytical frame for studying this type of migration management. Within the visa procedure, exterritorialization is achieved by delegation between different agencies and ministries of countries of immigration. The delegation of control to transport enterprises enables exterritorialization by incorporating private actors. Delegation between sovereign nation states is the mechanism for both the cooperation with countries of transit as well as within the EU’s Schengen area. From a principal-agent perspective, the paper analyzes the logics of delegation, the actors’ rationales as well as the resulting costs of shifting migration control to places beyond national territories.
Ethnicities
Liberal cosmopolitanism provides for a set of norms that calls for the openness of borders. Freed... more Liberal cosmopolitanism provides for a set of norms that calls for the openness of borders. Freedom of movement, equality in opportunity and hospitality define a liberal framework for a state’s ruling over the access of foreigners to the territory. However, in states’ execution of border and immigration control these normative ideals seem not to apply. Accounts of border and immigration policy and discourse document a bias towards exclusion, restriction, and securitization. It looks as if this normative political theory has no bearing on the real world. This is the starting point for an exploration into the public discourse on liberal cosmopolitan norms and the border. The study finds that most collective actors consider the application of the norms to be utopian. Still, they heavily draw on these norms as a means to critique domestic policies that attempt to regulate global mobility. These are considered to be morally wrong or insufficient for providing equality in opportunities, s...
The fall of the Iron Curtain and the border regime of the European Union have changed perceptions... more The fall of the Iron Curtain and the border regime of the European Union have changed perceptions of borders. This study compares border narratives on two Eastern borders in Austria and Finland in order to find out how such narratives picture the changing functions of the borders. The qualitative data gathered from interviews with border policy actors in both countries reveals that the shared narrative of the Iron Curtain is in the process of being substituted by a narrative which suggests a “border for the people”, a border managed according to the border‐crosser's demands. However, this emphasis on mobility depends on the section of the border the interviewee focuses on. Land borders are connected with the classical security and control functions of borders to stop unwanted border crossings. Yet, the border crossing points are meant to enable and encourage wanted flows. The same border can have very different functions, depending on where the observer is focusing. Analytically, those differing foci have to be distinguished in order to better interpret border narratives.1
co-authored by Steffen Mau, Christof Roos and Sonja Wrobel, 2008
The article addresses the changes of borders and border controls in the OECD-world and identifies... more The article addresses the changes of borders and border controls in the OECD-world and identifies three major transformations of the border-regimes. Contemporary border regimes differentiate more and more between particular groups of people, facilitating movement for some, while excluding others from mobility (selectivity). Border control is framed in international cooperation between states and non-state actors (internationalization). Control measures are dislocated from (the entry points to) the state territory taking place at spaces outside the actual territory of the state (exterritorialization). These developments do not suggest a disappearance of borders, but rather a fundamental transformation of the relation between territoriality and state control.
Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzuri... more Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzurichten. International vergleichend untersucht Lena Laube, wo heute Grenzkontrollen in einer entgrenzten Welt zu finden sind. Ihre Studie beleuchtet damit einen wichtigen Aspekt globalisierter Politik: die Exterritorialisierung von Grenzen. Begründungen staatlicher Akteure für diesen Wandel geben Einblick in die staatliche Strategie, die Mobilität von Personen jenseits der eigenen Territorien zu steuern. Dabei zielt die Verlagerung der Kontrollorte nicht nur auf Abschottung, sondern auch - gerade in Europa - auf Freizügigkeit gegenüber willkommenen Personen.
State borders are seen as institutions that regulate cross-border mobility and determine peoples'... more State borders are seen as institutions that regulate cross-border mobility and determine peoples' chances to travel, work, and study across the globe. This book looks at how global mobility is defined and regulated by the borders of liberal states. The central question is whether borders have become more permissive or more restrictive. In examining border-regime change over the past forty years, the authors find that chances for mobility are increasingly unequal. The new border arrangements define ever greater freedom of mobility for some groups and heavily restrict mobility for others. The authors assess changes in the selectivity of border policies over time and the different means by which such selectivity is enforced.
'A fresh and innovative comparative perspective with historical depth, this accessible book builds upon the-state-of-the-art to ask key questions about state borders in the OECD world today: who is excluded by these 'semi-permeable filters,' why, how and by whom?' - Virginie Guiraudon
'This latest work emerging out of the prodigious Bremen School of State Transformation shows that state borders do not disappear in an age of globalization. Instead, borders become more selective, open to a courted few, but closed to the vast majority of humankind. With theoretical sophistication and methodological rigor, this excellent book shows better than any other book I know how states control mobility in our fast-changing world.' - Christian Joppke
Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung
Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso st... more Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso steht die Debatte um eine Demokratisierung der Fluchtforschung selbst erst am Anfang. Der folgende Beitrag bringt eine Auswahl an Ansätzen aus Politischer Philosophie und empirischer Sozialwissenschaft miteinander ins Gespräch, die zur Bearbeitung dieser Problemstellung beitragen können. Im Zentrum der Auseinandersetzungen stehen Fragen nach der politischen Exklusion Geflüchteter, nach den Formen ihrer politischen Partizipation sowie nach den (Un-)Möglichkeiten, die wissenschaftliche Beschäftigung mit dem Thema Flucht selbst partizipativer und damit demokratischer zu gestalten. Wir argumentieren, dass das Wechselverhältnis von Demokratie und Flucht nur im Dialog verschiedener Disziplinen und methodischer Herangehensweisen angemessen bearbeitet werden kann.
Die Internationalisierung von Hochschulsystemen, genauer von Forschung und Lehre durch internatio... more Die Internationalisierung von Hochschulsystemen, genauer von Forschung und Lehre durch internationalen Austausch, zählt zu den Kernanliegen deutscher Wissenschaftspolitik. Entsprechend ist dieses Feld durch heterogene Akteure der Wissensgenerierung und -vermittlung und durch Wettbewerb zwischen innen-, entwicklungs-, und außenpolitische Interessen geprägt. Nationale Förderorganisationen nehmen in diesem transnational geprägten Feld eine prominente Rolle ein, z.B. der Deutsche Akademischen Austausch Dienst (DAAD).
Mit Blick auf die Förderung des akademischen Austauschs von Studierenden und WissenschaftlerInnen, gehen wir von der These aus, dass für diese internationale Bildungsarbeit transnationale Positionierungen zwischen Wissenschaft, lokalen Bildungsstrukturen und der auswärtigen Politik zentrale Herausforderungen sind. Diese lassen sich insbesondere anhand der alltäglichen Arbeit von DAAD-LektorInnen im Ausland veranschaulichen.
Mittels narrativer Interviews mit DAAD-LektorInnen wird im Forschungsprojekt die konkrete Arbeit vor Ort (Lehre von Deutsch als Fremdsprache an Universitäten, Repräsentation des deutschen Hochschulwesens und Beratung bzw. Anwerbung von StudieninteressentInnen sowie deutschen Hochschulen mit Kooperationsinteressen) in den Blick genommen. Zudem interessiert uns das Selbstverständnis der LektorInnen als zentrale Akteure der internationalen Bildungsarbeit und ihre Strategien im Umgang mit unterschiedlichen Rollenerwartungen.
LektorInnen agieren entlang vielfältiger Schnittstellen zwischen Wissenschaft, Hochschullehre, lokalen Strukturen und Politik, die wir konzeptionell als Verknüpfungspunkte und Kontakte mittels Methoden der sozialen Netzwerkanalyse untersuchen.
Das Projekt zielt auf die Beantwortung folgender Fragen: Wie definieren Befragte ihre Position an der Schnittstelle zwischen Wissenschaft, Hochschullehre und Politik im transnationalen Kontext? Was sehen sie als ihre Aufgabe hinsichtlich der Internationalisierung der Hochschulsysteme? Welche Position nimmt die Arbeit des DAAD als Teil der auswärtigen Kultur- und Bildungspolitik im Feld der deutschen Mittlerorganisationen ein? Wie gestaltet sich vor dem Hintergrund einer restriktiven Einwanderungspolitik Deutschlands die Arbeit des DAADs, der die akademische Mobilität aus allen Regionen der Welt fördern soll?
Gesellschaft unter Spannung. Verhandlungen des 40. Kongresses der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Soziologie 2020, Sep 27, 2021
Zeitschrift für Flüchtlingsforschung
Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso st... more Studien, die Fluchtanalysen explizit als Demokratieforschung denken, sind relativ jung. Ebenso steht die Debatte um eine Demokratisierung der Fluchtforschung selbst erst am Anfang. Der folgende Beitrag bringt eine Auswahl an Ansätzen aus Politischer Philosophie und empirischer Sozialwissenschaft miteinander ins Gespräch, die zur Bearbeitung dieser Problemstellung beitragen können. Im Zentrum der Auseinandersetzungen stehen Fragen nach der politischen Exklusion Geflüchteter, nach den Formen ihrer politischen Partizipation sowie nach den (Un-)Möglichkeiten, die wissenschaftliche Beschäftigung mit dem Thema Flucht selbst partizipativer und damit demokratischer zu gestalten. Wir argumentieren, dass das Wechselverhältnis von Demokratie und Flucht nur im Dialog verschiedener Disziplinen und methodischer Herangehensweisen angemessen bearbeitet werden kann.
Ausgeschlossen. Staatsbürgerschaft. Staatenlosigkeit und Exil, 2018
Beziehungsgeflechten wohnen Ungleichverteilungen inne. Entlang Ansatzen der Weltgesellschaft, der... more Beziehungsgeflechten wohnen Ungleichverteilungen inne. Entlang Ansatzen der Weltgesellschaft, der Small World Studies und empirischen Beitragen der transnationalen Studien explorieren wir die Bedeutung von geographischer Nahe fur das Vorhandensein von transnationalen Beziehungen. Im Spannungsverhaltnis zwischen theoretischer Diskussion und empirischer Betrachtung skizzieren wir erste Ideen fur die forschungsleitende Perspektive der „transnationalen Nachbarschaft in der Weltgesellschaft“.
The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop “Studying Migrati... more The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop “Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis”. It explains why there is a need to study migration policies across disciplines, includes a short note on the current literature, and provides a look back at the workshop.
Wenn zwei Staaten ein bilaterales Handelsabkommen schliesen, birgt dies auch Risiken und Moglichk... more Wenn zwei Staaten ein bilaterales Handelsabkommen schliesen, birgt dies auch Risiken und Moglichkeiten fur die Beziehungen zu jeweiligen Dritten. Zudem hangt die Bereitschaft zweier Lander, in einen kriegerischen Konflikt miteinander einzutreten, auch von den Verbundeten und Kontrahenten dieser beiden Staaten ab. Solcherlei Annahmen uber das Funktionieren des internationalen politischen Systems sind Gegenstand des politikwissenschaftlichen Forschungsfeldes der Internationalen Beziehungen (kurz: IB).
Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzuri... more Die Globalisierung fordert liberale Staaten heraus, ihre Grenzen auf gestiegene Mobilität einzurichten. International vergleichend untersucht Lena Laube, wo heute Grenzkontrollen in einer entgrenzten Welt zu finden sind. Ihre Studie beleuchtet damit einen wichtigen Aspekt globalisierter Politik: die Exterritorialisierung von Grenzen. Begründungen staatlicher Akteure für diesen Wandel geben Einblick in die staatliche Strategie, die Mobilität von Personen jenseits der eigenen Territorien zu steuern. Dabei zielt die Verlagerung der Kontrollorte nicht nur auf Abschottung, sondern auch - gerade in Europa - auf Freizügigkeit gegenüber willkommenen Personen.
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 2016
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
Liberal States and the Freedom of Movement, 2012
The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop "Studying Mi... more The text introduces the concept behind the Proceedings of the 2018 ZiF Workshop "Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis". It explains why there is a need to study migration policies across disciplines, includes a short note on the current literature, and provides a look back at the workshop.
The present Proceedings include a selection of the talks and comments that were given at the work... more The present Proceedings include a selection of the talks and comments that were given at the workshop "Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis" in September 2018 in Bielefeld. The Introduction explains why there is a need to study migration policies across disciplines, includes a short note on the current literature, and provides a look back at the workshop. The papers, besides some methodological reflexions, mainly include work from the broad area of refugee studies and on deportation, each trying to combine normative and empirical perspectives.
The present Proceedings include a selection of the talks and comments that were given at the work... more The present Proceedings include a selection of the talks and comments that were given at the workshop “Studying Migration Policies at the Interface between Empirical Research and Normative Analysis” in September 2018 in Bielefeld. The Introduction explains why there is a need to study migration policies across disciplines, includes a short note on the current literature, and provides a look back at the workshop. The papers, besides some methodological reflexions, mainly include work from the broad area of refugee studies and on deportation, each trying to combine normative and empirical perspectives.
Matthias Hoesch (Münster, ger) Lena Laube (Bonn, ger) photo: Ggia, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.... more Matthias Hoesch (Münster, ger) Lena Laube (Bonn, ger) photo: Ggia, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) ph ot o: M at te s, W ik im ed ia Co m m on s (p ub lic do m ai n) photo: Diliff, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) p h o t o : H e r z i P in k i, W ik im e d ia C o m m o n s ( C C B Y -S A 4 . 0 )
Issues of migration policy have gained in importance in Europe and around the globe. Against this... more Issues of migration policy have gained in importance in Europe and around the globe. Against this background, the conference aims at reflecting the interface between empirical research on migration policy in the social sciences and the philosophical debate on the ethics of migration. The interdisciplinary exchange is particularly urgent for both disciplines: On the one hand, empirical research on migration policy often includes implicit normative assumptions about the role of the state and about the consequences of regulating access for migrants, for the host countries as well as for the countries of origin. To make these assumptions explicit could help to avoid polarisations that tend to complicate a productive exchange between different approaches. On the other hand, the philosophical debate that essentially aims at evaluating migration policies barely acknowledges the results of empirical research. Consequently, it ignores questions concerning the moral evaluation of specific policies that constitute borders and legal migration opportunities. The international conference follows an interdisciplinary approach and invites participants to reflect on research on migration policies by jointly discussing methodological questions as well as concrete ethical problems in various areas of empirical research on migration policies.
In: Ulrike Krause / Christiane Fröhlich (Ed.) Externalizing Asylum. A Compendium of Scientific K... more In: Ulrike Krause / Christiane Fröhlich (Ed.) Externalizing Asylum. A Compendium of Scientific Knowledge. Published online, 28. Juni 2024.
Der Beitrag widmet sich den Anfechtungen der Externalisierung von Grenzkontrollen, die an Gewicht gewinnen, da sich der hohe Preis dieser politischen Strategie zeigt, den die EU für die Aufrechterhaltung des Scheins von Kontrolle durch die Vorverlagerung von Kontrolle zu zahlen bereit ist. Dieser Beitrag konzentriert sich auf zwei Dimensionen der nicht-intendierten Konsequenzen, die sich aus der Fortsetzung der umstrittenen Externalisierungsstrategie ergeben: Die Folgen der Abhängigkeit der EU von Abkommen mit Drittstaaten sowie des Duldens von Rechtsbrüchen an den Grenzen durch die EU. Es wird gezeigt, wie Drittstaaten Einfluss auf die europäische Grenzpolitik gewinnen, dass sich externalisierte Grenzgewalt nach innen wendet und Vertrauen in den Rechtsstaat verloren geht.
