Political culture and migration policy in non-democratic countries of reception of migrants: how political scientists study migration policy

On December 9 Anna Prokhorova (PhD candidate (political sciences), European University at St. Petersburg; Scientific Advisor, International Organization for Migration, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) took part in the "Culture matters" research seminar with the report "Political culture and migration policy in non-democratic countries of reception of migrants: how political scientists study migration policy".

It is generally accepted that migration flows are directed towards a "better life", which is firmly associated with European democratic countries, as well as traditional countries of immigration - the USA, Canada, Australia. However, in the rating of the twenty main countries of destination for migration, half of the positions are occupied by countries whose political regime is different from the liberal democratic - these are the Gulf countries, the countries of Southeast Asia, post-communist countries, as well as Turkey, Jordan, Pakistan. At the same time, they demonstrate the dynamics of population growth of foreign origin similar to those of democratic countries. How do they deal with this challenge? According to the researchers, these countries receiving migrants have a certain "undemocratic advantage" that allows them to manage immigration more effectively. What exactly is this advantage? Is migration management more effective in the absence of democracy? What is the fundamental difference in the approaches of democracies and “non-democracies” to migration policy? Finally, how can the concept of "political culture" fit into the research on migration policy? The report was devoted to the answers to these questions.