Refugees in Western Europe: Bibliographic Review and State of the Art

Abstract

This paper provides a concise review of the literature on recent refugee flows to western Europe. The review is organized into four sections, dealing in turn with significant areas of literature on refugees in western Europe. First, general studies are reviewed to provide a background to the current situation of refugees in the region; this section includes an examination of theoretical perspectives adopted by various authors, as well as considering the variety of definitions of ‘refugees’ that are applied at a policy-making and a theoretical level, and work on the causes of refugee flows. The second section considers the question of the numerical significance of refugees in western Europe, as well as the geographical pattern of movement In general, statistics are not presented in this section (although statistical sources are identified, and problems with these sources commented upon); rather an overview is provided of the main trends in arrivals of refugees. Thirdly, the focus is turned to recent changes in asylum policy in western European countries, including analysis of specific national trends which have continued despite moves towards harmonization of policies at a European level. Finally, the literature on settlement and integration of refugees is considered, outlining the links between national refugee settlement policies and asylum policies, as well as noting the principal themes and findings of academic research.