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Gokah, AK, 2023. A constructivist perspective to multilevel immigration governance in Europe: analysing the Finnish case using the 2015 migration crisis. PhD, Nottingham Trent University.
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Abstract
The motivation for this study emanates from the limited research on immigration governance in Finland and the concentration of scholarly studies on the integration of immigrants. There has been a vast and varied body of research on immigration and asylum policies. However, few have examined the governance of immigration in Finland, particularly its relationship with the EU in governing immigration, from a constructivist lens. Governing immigration involves institutions and actors that make policy decisions and implement them at diverse levels within a complex and dynamic setting, regularly and during crises. This research project also explored the regular and crises governance of immigration (namely the 2015- 2016 migration crisis) in the context of the return directive (deportation of asylum-seekers to third countries). This study, hence, applies the social constructivism theory in analysing and explaining how different institutions and actors in Finland collaborate at the local and national levels and between Finland and the EU-level institutional actors. In this context, constructivism refers to the idea that social and political realities are socially constructed through the interactions between diverse actors and that norms, beliefs, and identities play a crucial role in shaping policy decisions and implementation outcomes. Thus, the study examines how immigration policies and practices in Europe are influenced and implemented at multiple levels of governance using the case of Finland. This qualitative research answers two main research questions by analysing official documents and elite interviews using the Framework Analysis and the case study mentioned above. The study employed a purposive sampling technique in recruiting the elites for interviews on their institutions’ behalf. In order to triangulate the document data, sixteen different elites from the three multilevels were interviewed from various institutions.
The research’s main finding is that many factors facilitate and inhibit immigration governance activities in Finland, for instance, Finland’s culture of mutual trust, understanding and cooperation among the governing actors. Also, the domestic tension within Finland’s governance institutions arising from the popularity of the Finns party coupled with the Finnish approach to EU decision-making makes Finland’s interaction with the EU on a multilevel complex and dynamic. Finland has a system of always having an already prepared stance on EU issues before any negotiations or deliberations at the EU level. These stances are designed according to the various government programmes, debated and concluded at the Finnish Parliament before being presented at the EU level. This system seems complex, but at the same time, it is practical for Finland since it always goes to the EU prepared. Within this intricate interactive governance process, the constructivist lens explains how and why perspectives, egos, and national policies (redlines and stances) influence the entire multilevel governance process in attaining any meaningful outcomes. Also, this study particularly emphasises interactions between the various actors and institutions before, during and after the 2015-2016 migration crisis within Europe. That is, how Finland and the EU actors and institutions manage immigration regularly and during the 2015-2016 crisis and beyond is depicted using the case of return directive implementation. The 2015 migration crisis was a significant and complex immigration event in Europe, involving a large influx of migrants and refugees. Understanding how Finland responded to this crisis in cooperation with the EU provides valuable insights into its immigration policies and practices.
The study shows that the results of multilevel immigration governance are the outcome of the social constructions of the actors’ common and diverse beliefs, norms and identities during their interactions. The notion of trust among Finnish actors reflects the social aspect of governance. Trust is built through social interactions and shared experiences, reinforcing the idea that social relationships influence decision-making and governance processes. Trust among the Finnish actors at the national level reduces tensions in immigration governance. However, the relationships get more tense and complicated at the EU level, where different Member States export their similar or divergent national interest in various negotiations.
| Item Type: | Thesis |
|---|---|
| Creators: | Gokah, A.K. |
| Contributors: | Name Role NTU ID ORCID |
| Date: | March 2023 |
| Rights: | The copyright in this work is held by the author. You may copy up to 5% of this work for private study, or personal, non-commercial research. Any re-use of the information contained within this document should be fully referenced, quoting the author, title, university, degree level and pagination. Queries or requests for any other use, or if a more substantial copy is required, should be directed to the author. |
| Divisions: | Schools > School of Social Sciences |
| Record created by: | Jonathan Gallacher |
| Date Added: | 22 Oct 2024 13:34 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Oct 2024 15:03 |
| URI: | https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/52452 |
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6442-5292Actions (login required)
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