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

This is a three-year research project based in the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki. Its purpose is to develop a systematic understanding of migration governance in Russia and Turkey with the help of comparisons. These societies are characterized by weak rule of law, non-democratic political regimes, widespread corruption and poor human rights record. The researcher uses qualitative fieldwork methods and collects ethnographic data in target societies. The project will facilitate understanding of migration policies in illiberal societies where the state faces enormous resistance from other formal and informal forces in implementing its laws and policies.