Multi-level Migration Governance in Illiberal Societies: Central Asian Migrant Workers in Russia and Turkey

This project, funded by the Academy of Finland, investigates the mutually transforming interactions between multiple actors and institutions on different levels and chains of migration governance in illiberal societies. The goal of the project is to develop a comparative framework for the understanding of these interactions through a systematized examination of the functionality of migration governance in Russia and Turkey. By comparatively exploring these societies, characterized by weak rule of law, non-democratic political regimes, widespread corruption and poor human rights record, the research seeks to explain how and under what circumstances formal and informal actors and institutions involved in migration governance influence and shape each other’s agenda and strategies.