Week 1 1
Neumayer (2005) - Bogus Refugees? The Determinants of Asylum Migration to Western Europe2
Hooghe et al. (2008) - Migration to European Countries: A Structural Explanation of Patterns 4
Week 2 6
Jennissen et al. (2023) - Chapter 4: Successive National Policy Models 6
Czaika & de Haas (2013) - The Effectiveness of Immigration Policies 8
Week 3 10
Fibbi et al. (2021) - Chapter 3: Theories of Discrimination 10
Quillian & Lee (2022) - Trends in Hiring Discrimination Against Racial and Ethnic Minorities in
Six Western Countries 12
Week 4 13
Griesshaber & Seibel (2015) - Over-education among Immigrants in Europe: The Value of Civic
Involvement 14
Larsen & Di Stasio (2021) - Pakistani in the UK and Norway: different contexts, similar
disadvantage 15
Week 5 17
Dimitrova, Chasiotis, & van de Vijver (2016) - Adjustment Outcomes of Immigrant Children and
Youth in Europe: A Meta-Analysis 17
Delaruelle et al. (2021) - Mental Health in Adolescents with a Migration Background in 29
European Countries: The Buffering Role of Social Capital 18
Week 6 21
Bilgili & Erdal (2025) - Chapter 1: What Is Migrant Transnationalism? 21
Bilgili & Erdal (2025) - Chapter 4: Migrant Transnationalism Meets Integration 22
Bilgili (2014) - Migrants’ Multi-Sited Social Lives 23
Week 7 25
Berry (1997) - Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation 26
Van der Linden & Dagevos (2025) - Policy variation and refugee integration: a natural experiment
comparing the effects of local integration programs 27
Vervoort, Flap & Dagevos (2010) - The Ethnic Composition of the Neighbourhood and Ethnic
Minorities’ Social Contacts 28
Week 1
Lecture: basic definitions
,The UN defines international migration as movements across international boundaries that
constitute a change of residence. The IOM adds that immigration is the process by which
non-nationals move into a country for the purpose of settlement
Lecture: types of migrants
1. Labour migrants (high- and low-skilled, including former 'guest workers').
2. Family migrants (for family reunion and formation).
3. Refugees and asylum seekers.
4. International students.
Lecture: Asylum Seeker vs. Refugee
● An asylum seeker makes a formal request for asylum because they fear their life is at
risk in their home country.
● A refugee is someone who is officially recognized and accepted by the host country.
According to the 1951 UN Convention, refugees have a well-founded fear of
persecution based on race, religion, nationality, or political opinion
Neumayer (2005) - Bogus Refugees? The Determinants of Asylum Migration to Western
Europe
Research Question
What factors can explain asylum migration to Western European countries?
The paper questions whether country-specific aggregate numbers of asylum seekers can be
explained by economic factors only (the perception of 'bogus refugees'), or whether aspects
of political oppression, human rights abuse, and generalized violence in the countries of
origin also play an important role.
Theory
The theoretical framework conceptualizes the decision to migrate as utility-optimizing
behavior. Potential asylum seekers weigh the "costs of staying" against the "costs of
migrating"
● Costs of Staying (Push Factors): Economic theories emphasize that poor living
standards and lack of employment opportunities raise the opportunity costs of staying.
However, this theory expands beyond economics: oppressive political conditions
(restrictions on freedoms), human rights violations, threats from government or
dissident groups, civil wars, and natural disasters also severely raise the costs of
staying.
● Costs of Migration (Pull/Facilitating Factors): Migration entails high direct and
psychological costs. The theory suggests these costs are lowered by specific
facilitators:
○ Cultural and historical links: Colonial experiences, shared languages, and
religious similarity can reduce adjustment costs.
, ○ Migration networks: The presence of past asylum seekers lowers the costs
for newcomers by setting positive examples, providing information, and
aiding in the search for employment.
○ Geographical proximity lowers transport costs, whereas deterrence measures
(like visa restrictions or restricted welfare) raise the costs of migration.
Results
● The analysis confirms that economic hardship and economic discrimination against
ethnic minorities lead to higher flows of asylum seekers.
● However, the perception that asylum seekers are purely economic migrants is
incorrect; political oppression, human rights abuse, violent conflict, and state failure
are also important determinants.
● Autocracy has a non-linear effect: harsh autocracies restrict exit, but moderate lack of
democracy increases migration.
● As predicted by theory, existing migration networks and geographical proximity are
important facilitators of asylum flows.
● Interestingly, colonial experience, religious similarity, natural disasters, and casual
contacts are not statistically significant determinants.
Conclusion
Asylum seekers to Western Europe are not merely economic migrants; threats to personal
integrity and political violence are equally important drivers. If Western European destination
countries want to tackle the root causes of asylum migration, they need to undertake policy
measures that promote economic development, democracy, respect for human rights, and
peaceful conflict resolution in countries of origin.
Lecture:
New Economics Theory
● Core Assumption: Migration decisions are not made by isolated individuals, but by
larger units of people, such as families, households, or communities. The main goal of
migration is to minimize the risk to the household income.
● Focus: This theory strongly focuses on the country of origin (push factors). Because
the migration decision is taken collectively by the household, the individual actor
might not even prefer to migrate themselves.
● Relative Deprivation: A key concept is 'relative deprivation', meaning the family
compares itself to a reference group within their own community in the country of
origin and uses migration to improve their relative standing.
● Main Explanatory Variables (Push Factors): Migration is driven by institutional
and market failures in the home country, specifically:
○ Low or no access to capital, such as a deficiency of insurance, credit, and
consumer markets.
○ A lack of social security.
○ High transaction costs, for example, high interest rates.
Neumayer (2005) - Bogus Refugees? The Determinants of Asylum Migration to Western Europe2
Hooghe et al. (2008) - Migration to European Countries: A Structural Explanation of Patterns 4
Week 2 6
Jennissen et al. (2023) - Chapter 4: Successive National Policy Models 6
Czaika & de Haas (2013) - The Effectiveness of Immigration Policies 8
Week 3 10
Fibbi et al. (2021) - Chapter 3: Theories of Discrimination 10
Quillian & Lee (2022) - Trends in Hiring Discrimination Against Racial and Ethnic Minorities in
Six Western Countries 12
Week 4 13
Griesshaber & Seibel (2015) - Over-education among Immigrants in Europe: The Value of Civic
Involvement 14
Larsen & Di Stasio (2021) - Pakistani in the UK and Norway: different contexts, similar
disadvantage 15
Week 5 17
Dimitrova, Chasiotis, & van de Vijver (2016) - Adjustment Outcomes of Immigrant Children and
Youth in Europe: A Meta-Analysis 17
Delaruelle et al. (2021) - Mental Health in Adolescents with a Migration Background in 29
European Countries: The Buffering Role of Social Capital 18
Week 6 21
Bilgili & Erdal (2025) - Chapter 1: What Is Migrant Transnationalism? 21
Bilgili & Erdal (2025) - Chapter 4: Migrant Transnationalism Meets Integration 22
Bilgili (2014) - Migrants’ Multi-Sited Social Lives 23
Week 7 25
Berry (1997) - Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation 26
Van der Linden & Dagevos (2025) - Policy variation and refugee integration: a natural experiment
comparing the effects of local integration programs 27
Vervoort, Flap & Dagevos (2010) - The Ethnic Composition of the Neighbourhood and Ethnic
Minorities’ Social Contacts 28
Week 1
Lecture: basic definitions
,The UN defines international migration as movements across international boundaries that
constitute a change of residence. The IOM adds that immigration is the process by which
non-nationals move into a country for the purpose of settlement
Lecture: types of migrants
1. Labour migrants (high- and low-skilled, including former 'guest workers').
2. Family migrants (for family reunion and formation).
3. Refugees and asylum seekers.
4. International students.
Lecture: Asylum Seeker vs. Refugee
● An asylum seeker makes a formal request for asylum because they fear their life is at
risk in their home country.
● A refugee is someone who is officially recognized and accepted by the host country.
According to the 1951 UN Convention, refugees have a well-founded fear of
persecution based on race, religion, nationality, or political opinion
Neumayer (2005) - Bogus Refugees? The Determinants of Asylum Migration to Western
Europe
Research Question
What factors can explain asylum migration to Western European countries?
The paper questions whether country-specific aggregate numbers of asylum seekers can be
explained by economic factors only (the perception of 'bogus refugees'), or whether aspects
of political oppression, human rights abuse, and generalized violence in the countries of
origin also play an important role.
Theory
The theoretical framework conceptualizes the decision to migrate as utility-optimizing
behavior. Potential asylum seekers weigh the "costs of staying" against the "costs of
migrating"
● Costs of Staying (Push Factors): Economic theories emphasize that poor living
standards and lack of employment opportunities raise the opportunity costs of staying.
However, this theory expands beyond economics: oppressive political conditions
(restrictions on freedoms), human rights violations, threats from government or
dissident groups, civil wars, and natural disasters also severely raise the costs of
staying.
● Costs of Migration (Pull/Facilitating Factors): Migration entails high direct and
psychological costs. The theory suggests these costs are lowered by specific
facilitators:
○ Cultural and historical links: Colonial experiences, shared languages, and
religious similarity can reduce adjustment costs.
, ○ Migration networks: The presence of past asylum seekers lowers the costs
for newcomers by setting positive examples, providing information, and
aiding in the search for employment.
○ Geographical proximity lowers transport costs, whereas deterrence measures
(like visa restrictions or restricted welfare) raise the costs of migration.
Results
● The analysis confirms that economic hardship and economic discrimination against
ethnic minorities lead to higher flows of asylum seekers.
● However, the perception that asylum seekers are purely economic migrants is
incorrect; political oppression, human rights abuse, violent conflict, and state failure
are also important determinants.
● Autocracy has a non-linear effect: harsh autocracies restrict exit, but moderate lack of
democracy increases migration.
● As predicted by theory, existing migration networks and geographical proximity are
important facilitators of asylum flows.
● Interestingly, colonial experience, religious similarity, natural disasters, and casual
contacts are not statistically significant determinants.
Conclusion
Asylum seekers to Western Europe are not merely economic migrants; threats to personal
integrity and political violence are equally important drivers. If Western European destination
countries want to tackle the root causes of asylum migration, they need to undertake policy
measures that promote economic development, democracy, respect for human rights, and
peaceful conflict resolution in countries of origin.
Lecture:
New Economics Theory
● Core Assumption: Migration decisions are not made by isolated individuals, but by
larger units of people, such as families, households, or communities. The main goal of
migration is to minimize the risk to the household income.
● Focus: This theory strongly focuses on the country of origin (push factors). Because
the migration decision is taken collectively by the household, the individual actor
might not even prefer to migrate themselves.
● Relative Deprivation: A key concept is 'relative deprivation', meaning the family
compares itself to a reference group within their own community in the country of
origin and uses migration to improve their relative standing.
● Main Explanatory Variables (Push Factors): Migration is driven by institutional
and market failures in the home country, specifically:
○ Low or no access to capital, such as a deficiency of insurance, credit, and
consumer markets.
○ A lack of social security.
○ High transaction costs, for example, high interest rates.
