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LSE Government

January 20th, 2016

RESEARCH IMPACT: Ensuring fair and humane asylum policies in the EU

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

LSE Government

January 20th, 2016

RESEARCH IMPACT: Ensuring fair and humane asylum policies in the EU

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Dr Eiko Thielemann has carried out extensive research into asylum policies in the EU. A new film, produced as part of an LSE ‘Research Impact’ case study, examines how his research has informed policymakers tackling the issue of fair distribution of refugees.

Migration has become one of the biggest issues in European politics. The summer of 2015 bought this in to sharp focus, as our screens were filled with reports of those seeking asylum from conflict and suffering. There have always been questions surrounding the fair distribution of asylum seekers amongst EU states and the suitability of the ‘Dublin regulation’, which allocates responsibility for asylum seekers among the Member States. With the sustainability of the ‘Dublin system’ being increasingly questioned, wider questions are being asked about what role the EU can and should play in the management of migration flows across Europe.

Dr Eiko Thielemann has conducted research on fairer responsibility-sharing of refugees, which has proved influential on policymaking at the highest level. After founding the Migration Studies Unit in 2007, he contributed to three major EU reports on Migration, which have helped to shape the asylum debate among EU policy-makers. Following his 2010 report on asylum burden-sharing Dr Thielemann served as a Special Rapporteur to the European Parliament for EU burden-sharing initiatives, providing evidence and advice to various party groups and the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee.

This short film, produced as part of the LSE’s ‘Research Impact’ initiative, examines Dr Thielemann’s research which asks, how the EU can better equip itself to tackle the challenges posed by the current refugee crisis? As Dr Thielemann observes, “Despite the progress we’ve made in recent years, clearly there is a lot more work to be done. I think there is a duty to seize this moment to act and recognize that we are really facing questions of basic human dignity and solidarity.”


Portrait photo of Dr Eiko ThielemanDr Eiko Thielemann is Associate Professor in Political Science and Public Policy in the Department of Government and the European Institute at the LSE.

He is director of The Migration Studies Unit (MSU), a multidisciplinary research unit spanning the complementary fields of political science, sociology, anthropology, geography, economics, and law.

Read his full Research Impact case study on the Research Impact website

LSE Research: making a differenceThe LSE’s Research Impact case studies highlight how LSE research benefits society and informs policymakers across the UK and the world.

Visit the Research Impact website to see more case studies of LSE Department of Government research

Follow the LSE Research Division on Twitter – @LSE_RD


 

Note: This piece does not give the view of the Department of Government, nor the London School of Economics.

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