Politics of Subsidiarity in Refugee Reception: Comparative Perspectives

Abstract

This Special Issue brings together articles concentrating on the politics of subsidiarity in relation to deterrence and dispersal, the involvement of non-state actors and the role of social workers and street level bureaucrats in the local implementation of reception policies. Based on empirical research, we address politics and practices of refugee reception from the vantage point of the politics of subsidiarity, which refers to the delegation of responsibility for refugee reception across different levels of governance as well as from state actors to the civil society. It comprises external conditions, such as the global impact of neoliberalism and the internal complexification of immigration politics.