Publisher's Synopsis
The response of Western governments to the wave of asylum applications has been increasingly restrictive. Control measures have included attempts to limit departures, to restrict border crossings, to lessen the chances of legal recognition and to speed up extradition procedures. In most countries, controversy surrounds attempts to ameliorate social and economic conditions of applications for asylum prior to a decision being made. The authors, who are drawn from law and social science, describe and assess recent processes of exclusion and inclusion affecting asylum seekers in different European countries. Despite country differences, the case studies reveal that one consequence of very restrictive entry may be greater difficulties for the integration of those allowed to stay or other ethnic minorities as negative images are used to justify exclusion. In the absence of a European asylum and refugee policy, those seeking refuge are forced to rely increasingly on illegal traffickers.
