Migration policy is often seen as an exception to the trend towards international governance. Despite intensifying political pressure states have hitherto objected the development of strong multilateral institutions in this field. Instead, relevant provisions are scattered horizontally across different policy fields (such as human rights, trade, security, and development) and vertically across different layers of government (thin multilateralism, regional and bilateral levels). In this project we want to understand the dynamics behind the particularly fragmented, multilayered and decentred modes of cooperation in international migration policy and to explore to what extent political actors make use or benefit from the fragmented international structures in the realisation of their policy goals. In particular three venues of international migration governance are explored: the inclusion of migration related clauses in bilateral and plurilateral trade agreements; regional integration frameworks; and informal transgovernmental networks linking public officials dealing with international migration in the destination, transit and source countries of migrants. 

NCCR Project "Venue-Shopping in International Migration Governance", affiliated with the National Centres for Competence in Research "Trade Regulation" 

SNIS Projekt "Migration Partnerships: A Step towards the Global Governance of International Migration?" 

European Migration Policy Dialogue