DIIS Comment
The fate of migration in Danish development policy
In 2000, Danida commissioned a study on the migration-development nexus in search of more knowledge to support an inclusion of migration concerns in development policy. But what happened to the "nexus" and what is the place of migration in Danish development policy ten years later?
11 October 2010
In the October-November issue of the Broker (www.thebrokeronline.eu), senior researcher Ninna Nyberg Sørensen analyses the fate of migration in Danish development policy. The analysis focuses on the when, why and how Danida picked up migration as a valid part of development knowledge. The “when” concerns the timing, from 2000 onwards, when the linkage between development cooperation and migration policies began to be promoted by international organizations. The “why” refers to the geopolitical context in which this promotion took place, namely the external and internal factors that prompted Danida to rethink its traditionally more narrow approach. The “how” takes the analysis up to the present and discusses the paradoxical lack of implementation of the migration-development nexus in concrete aid practices.
The analysis shows that Danida has continued to develop policies along two traditional lines: one geared towards securing the access to basic protection of (genuine) refugees and another geared towards tackling the root causes of migration. The refugee question is dealt with by the office of Humanitarian Assistance, who through the “neighbouring areas” works with durable solutions for refugees in developing countries. The migration question has become relegated to the poverty-oriented approach building on Danida’s traditional sector policy. But maybe that is not so bad at all. The article concludes that the pairing of the poverty approach with the migration policy language of “combating the root causes”, has enabled Danida to protect a declining development budget from being used for migration policy purposes by going about doing development as always.
A comment placing the issue in the international aid debate is provided by Professor Nicholas Van Hear, Oxford University.
The analysis shows that Danida has continued to develop policies along two traditional lines: one geared towards securing the access to basic protection of (genuine) refugees and another geared towards tackling the root causes of migration. The refugee question is dealt with by the office of Humanitarian Assistance, who through the “neighbouring areas” works with durable solutions for refugees in developing countries. The migration question has become relegated to the poverty-oriented approach building on Danida’s traditional sector policy. But maybe that is not so bad at all. The article concludes that the pairing of the poverty approach with the migration policy language of “combating the root causes”, has enabled Danida to protect a declining development budget from being used for migration policy purposes by going about doing development as always.
A comment placing the issue in the international aid debate is provided by Professor Nicholas Van Hear, Oxford University.
DIIS Eksperter
Photo/illustration by Lynggaardhansenfoto.dk
The fate of migration in Danish development policy
DIIS Comment, 11. October 2010