Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece
Abstract This article takes an in-depth look at caseworkers at the European Union Asylum Agency in Greece. The agency’s increased role in asylum case processing and the emergence of the called “integrated European administration” is an unusual but nevertheless critical case to study for scholars of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Comparative Migration Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-023-00345-0 |
| _version_ | 1797752833768947712 |
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| author | Johan Ekstedt |
| author_facet | Johan Ekstedt |
| author_sort | Johan Ekstedt |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This article takes an in-depth look at caseworkers at the European Union Asylum Agency in Greece. The agency’s increased role in asylum case processing and the emergence of the called “integrated European administration” is an unusual but nevertheless critical case to study for scholars of European asylum bureaucracies. Previous research into member state’s national migration authorities has shown that discretionary decision-making is widely deployed by asylum caseworkers. Generally, street-level bureaucrats tend to ‘reinterpret’ policy and creatively make use of the legal framework of the Common European Asylum System in order to make their day-to-day operations run more smoothly and resolve ethical dilemmas. However, this article finds that in the case of the European Union Asylum Agency, the compartmentalized institutional arrangement and short-term contracts removes both the incentive and ability for caseworkers to creatively reinterpret policy and deploy discretionary practices. It is therefore argued that scholars of asylum bureaucracy in Europe must pay increased attention to how the bureaucratic configuration of migration authorities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:09:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5a818ca4125e43529bbe6bd70780f450 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2214-594X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T17:09:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comparative Migration Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-5a818ca4125e43529bbe6bd70780f4502023-08-06T11:09:35ZengSpringerOpenComparative Migration Studies2214-594X2023-08-0111111710.1186/s40878-023-00345-0Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in GreeceJohan Ekstedt0Department of Global Political Studies, Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare (MIM), Malmö UniversityAbstract This article takes an in-depth look at caseworkers at the European Union Asylum Agency in Greece. The agency’s increased role in asylum case processing and the emergence of the called “integrated European administration” is an unusual but nevertheless critical case to study for scholars of European asylum bureaucracies. Previous research into member state’s national migration authorities has shown that discretionary decision-making is widely deployed by asylum caseworkers. Generally, street-level bureaucrats tend to ‘reinterpret’ policy and creatively make use of the legal framework of the Common European Asylum System in order to make their day-to-day operations run more smoothly and resolve ethical dilemmas. However, this article finds that in the case of the European Union Asylum Agency, the compartmentalized institutional arrangement and short-term contracts removes both the incentive and ability for caseworkers to creatively reinterpret policy and deploy discretionary practices. It is therefore argued that scholars of asylum bureaucracy in Europe must pay increased attention to how the bureaucratic configuration of migration authorities.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-023-00345-0EUAAGreeceAsylum case processingCEASStreet-level bureaucracyDiscretion |
| spellingShingle | Johan Ekstedt Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece Comparative Migration Studies EUAA Greece Asylum case processing CEAS Street-level bureaucracy Discretion |
| title | Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece |
| title_full | Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece |
| title_fullStr | Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece |
| title_short | Bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing: the case of the EUAA in Greece |
| title_sort | bureaucratic configuration and discretion in asylum case processing the case of the euaa in greece |
| topic | EUAA Greece Asylum case processing CEAS Street-level bureaucracy Discretion |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-023-00345-0 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johanekstedt bureaucraticconfigurationanddiscretioninasylumcaseprocessingthecaseoftheeuaaingreece |