Citation

Boswell C. Int. Migr. Rev. 2007; 41(1): 75-100.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Center for Migration Studies, New York, Inc., Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1747-7379.2007.00057.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article critically reviews theories of migration policy according to two criteria: methodological rigor and explanatory plausibility. It finds that political economy accounts are theoretically robust, but at the price of oversimplification. Neo-institutional theories offer more sophisticated accounts, but fall short on a number of methodological and explanatory counts. As an alternative, this article suggests a theory focusing on the functional imperatives of the state in the area of migration, which shape its responses to societal interests and institutional structures.