States of Conflict: Causes and patterns of forced migration to the EU and policy responses

Article

An empirical analysis of the conditions in the countries from which asylum seekers originate and an assessment of the role of the European Commission in reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving at its borders.

The global refugee population is currently more than 12 million. Over the last 15 years, Europe has seen the arrival of millions of individuals who have sought asylum within individual Member States. Despite the fact that the top ten nationalities arriving in European countries are from countries which have seen high levels of violence, oppression and conflict, asylum seekers have been treated with increasingly contempt and disdain by policy makers and the public alike.

States of Conflict undertakes for the first time an empirical analysis of the overall conditions in the countries from which asylum seekers originate. It asks some critical questions about the causes of forced migration and its consequences for patterns of migration to Europe. It also assesses the role of the European Commission in reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving at its borders.

'The European Commission is pleased to have provided support for this independent study, though the recommendations set us some stiff challenges."

- Chris Patten European Commission External Relations Commissioner & Chancellor of Oxford University

'States of Conflict provides an invaluable analysis of the reasons why so many people have sought asylum in the European Union.'

- Jeffery Crisp, Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit, UNHCR

'An excellent and timely analysis... This report assesses the real complexity, interconnections and often human tragedy behind the asylum statistics.'

- Claude Moraes MEP, European Parliament Justice and Home Affairs Committee / Former Director of JCWI

Related items

  1. View of Bank of England, Royal Exchange, and Duke of Wellington equestrian statue (1844) with skyscrapers and construction in background.

    Navigating in the fog: Why the OBR should hold its nerve on the productivity forecast

    The fiscal watchdog is under pressure to downgrade its forecast, costing the chancellor billions – but this would be premature.
  2. A busy bus full of people of all ages. An older couple smile at a younger woman with a baby in a pushchair

    Everyday concerns: What people want from transport

    Transport has a key role to play in achieving the UK government's missions and improving lives. 
  3. An unrecognisable woman playing a slot machine in a social club

    Reforming gambling taxation: How to lift half a million children out of poverty

    A key priority for the government’s upcoming child poverty strategy should be to remove the two-child limit and scrap the household benefit cap.