The Politics of EU Asylum Policy. A comparative study of decision-making before and after the 'refugee crisis'

This thesis is concerned with explaining the development of EU asylum policy. The research question – How did the refugee crisis affect EU decision-making in asylum policy? – Is answered by deploying a new theoretical framework. Through a comparative case study using qualitative methods such as elite interviews and document analysis, the thesis demonstrates that when the centrality of asylum policy (its salience) increases, we observe restrictions on the political maneuvering of EU institutions, thereby making it harder to find sustainable common solutions. There is a gap in the literature when it comes to understanding decision-making in the area of asylum policy. By combining elements drawn from a variety of studies of national- and European decision-making, I have developed a new theoretical argument which I call the Salience Model. The model is tested through a comparative case study of the decision-making on asylum policy before and after the refugee crisis. The empirical findings are twofold. First, the autonomy of the Commission to propose legislation depends on salience. When there is low salience, the Commission proposes legislation supporting the rights and safeguards of the asylum seekers, which is also favored by the European Parliament. When salience increases, the Commission is put under political pressure by the Council’s member states, resulting in a policy that is more focused on immigration concerns rather than the rights of asylum seekers. Secondly, the analysis shows that the member states’ positions in negotiations vary according to salience. The positions of member states in the Council before the ‘refugee crisis’ were in accordance with the preferences of the North-Western member states. By contrast, following the ‘refugee crisis’, all member states have an enhanced interest in pursuing their national political preferences, thereby making it much harder to reach an agreement. In sum, high salience, resulting from the refugee crisis, makes it harder to reach an agreement regarding asylum policy precisely when the importance of reaching such a common solution is greatest.MasteroppgaveSAMPOL350MASV-SAP

What Does Climate Change Adaptation Mean for Humanitarian Assistance? Guiding Principles for Policymakers and Practitioners

Vulnerability to climate change is the result of complex interactions of various social, political, economic and environmental conditions. Humanitarian actions, while often having short-term and ‘neutral’ intentions, necessarily influence the development pathways that define people’s vulnerability to climate change. On the one hand, humanitarian interventions risk reinforcing existing vulnerability patterns by increasing the gap between those who benefit from different programmes and those that remain marginalised. On the other, addressing climate change may provide new opportunities for transforming the development pathways that create vulnerability in the first place. However, while there are shifts at the policy level towards integrating humanitarian assistance with longer‑term development, considerations about how humanitarian action may support transformational adaptation are often missing. This article describes a framework for integrating climate change adaptation concerns into humanitarian policies and actions, which has been developed in collaboration with several humanitarian organisations to support efforts to reduce longer‑term vulnerability and the recurrence of humanitarian crises

Affective adaptation = effective transformation? Shifting the politics of climate change adaptation and transformation from the status quo

Alarming rates of environmental change have catalyzed scholars to call for fundamental transformations in social-political and economic relations. Yet cautionary tales about how power and politics are constitutive of these efforts fill the literature. We show how a relational framing of adaptation and transformation demands a political, cross-scalar, and socionatural analysis to probe the affects and effects of climate change and better grasp how transformative change unfolds. We bring affect theory into conversation with the literature on adaptation politics, socio-environmental transformations, subjectivity, and our empirical work to frame our analysis around three under investigated aspects of transformation: (i) the uncertain and unpredictable relations that constitute socionatures; (ii) other ways of knowing; and (iii) the affective and emotional relations that form a basis for action. Affective adaptation represents a different ontological take on transformation by reframing the socionatural, normative and ethical aspects as relational, uncertain, and performative. This directs analytical attention to processes rather than outcomes. The emphasis on the encounter between bodies in affect theory points to the need for experiential and embodied ways of knowing climate to effect transformative change. Effective transformation requires recognizing uncertainty and unpredictability as part of transformative processes. This is not because all outcomes are acceptable, but rather because uncertainty and unpredictability are elements which help generate affects (action) and emotional commitment to shared human and more than human relations in action, projects, and policies. This article is categorized under: Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change > Values-Based Approach to Vulnerability and Adaptatio

Forest adjacent households’ voices on their perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change in Kilombero District, Tanzania

-Climate change is a global and local challenge to both sustainable livelihoods and economic development. Tanzania as other countries of the world has been affected. Several studies have been conducted on farmers’ perceptions and adaptation to climate change in the country, but little attention has been devoted to forest adjacent households in humid areas. This study assessed this gap through assessing forest adjacent households’ voices on perceptions and adaptation strategies to climate change in Kilombero District, Tanzania. Data collection involved key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household questionnaires. Results showed that the majority of households perceived changed climate in terms of temperature increase, unpredictable rainfall, frequent occurrence of floods, increased dry spells during rainy season coupled with decreased water sources and emergence of new pests and diseases. The perceived change in climate has impacted agriculture productivity as the main livelihood source. Different coping and adaptation strategies are employed. These are; crop diversification, changing cropping calendar, adopting modern farming technologies, and increasing reliance on non-timber forest products. These strategies were positively and significantly influenced by socio-economic factors including household size, residence period, land ownership and household income. The study concludes that, there are changes in climatic conditions; and to respond to these climatic changes, forest adjacent households have developed numerous coping and adaptation strategies, which were positively and significantly influenced by some socio-economic factors. The study calls for actual implementation of local climate change policies and strategies in order to enhance adaptive capacity at household level

On CRDPs and CRPD: why the rights of people with disabilities are crucial for understanding climate-resilient development pathways

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Climate Change Perceptions and Adaptation Strategies by Forest Adjacent Communities in Kilombero District Tanzania

Climate change is a global challenge to both sustainable livelihoods and economic development. Tanzania has been affected by climate change due to primary dependence on rain-fed agriculture. Despite several studies being able to explore climate change farmers’ perceptions and adaptation in Tanzania, little attention has been to humid areas specifically forest adjacent communities. This study assessed the perceptions and adaptation strategies developed by forest adjacent communities against climate change effects in Kilombero District, Tanzania. Data collection involved use of household questionnaire, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and participant observations. Results showed that the majority of communities perceive the climate to have changed as evidenced by increase in temperature and unpredictable rainfall over the past decades. This was further evidenced by frequent occurrence of floods, increased dry spells during rainy season coupled with decreased water sources, emergence of new pests and diseases, and fluctuations in fruiting and flowering seasons for plant resources in the forests. The communities’ perceptions are in line with existing empirical climate data for Kilombero meteorological station where temperature and rainfall have indicated an increasing trend with fluctuations in some years. The perceived change in climate has impacted different sectors mostly agriculture as the main livelihood source. Local communities are responding through different coping and adaptation strategies, such as crop diversification, changing cropping calendar, adopting modern farming technologies, increasing reliance on Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), animal rearing and petty trading. Household size, residence period, land ownership, and household income were the socio-economic factors that influenced coping and adaptation strategies positively and significantly. In conclusion, forest adjacent communities perceive the climate to have changed as evidenced by different climatic indicators. In actual fact the area seem to have experienced climate variability and communities have responded differently by developing both coping and adaptation strategies within the farming and non-farming context. The study recommends a need for provision of weather forecast to the area for preparedness. The need for daily recording of climatic events by meteorological stations in the study area and other places in Tanzania is crucial for future confirmation of climate change. The observed potential coping and adaptation strategies need to be prioritized, strengthened and developed to ensure livelihood sustainability in future. Keywords: climate change perceptions; forest adjacent communities; coping and adaptation strategies, Tanzania

Courting Catastrophe? Humanitarian Policy and Practice in a Changing Climate

Humanitarian crises appear dramatic, overwhelming and sudden, with aid required immediately to save lives. Whereas climate change is about changing hazard patterns and crises are in reality rarely unexpected, with academic researchers and humanitarian and development organisations warning about possible risks for months before they take place. While humanitarian organisations deal directly with vulnerable populations, interventions are part of global politics and development pathways that are simultaneously generating climate change, inequities and vulnerability. So what is the level of convergence between humanitarian interventions and efforts to support adaptation to climate change, and what lessons can be drawn from current experience on the prospects for reducing the risk of climate change causing increased burdens on humanitarian interventions in the future? This IDS Bulletin is a call for increasing engagement between humanitarian aid and adaptation interventions to support deliberate transformation of development pathways. Based on studies from the ‘Courting Catastrophe’ project, contributors argue that humanitarian interventions offer opportunities for a common agenda to drive transformational adaptation. Changes in political and financial frameworks are needed to facilitate longer-term actions where demands move from delivering expert advice and solutions to vulnerable populations to taking up multiple vulnerability knowledges and making space for contestation of current development thinking. Yet while the humanitarian system could drive transformative adaptation, it should not bear responsibility alone. In this issue, alternative pathways and practical ways to support local alternatives and critical debates around these are illustrated, to demonstrate where humanitarian actions can most usefully contribute to transformation

What's in a word? Conflicting interpretations of vulnerability in climate change research

In this paper, we discuss two competing interpretations of vulnerability in the climate change literature and consider the implications for both research and policy. The first interpretation, which can be referred to as the “end point” approach, views vulnerability as a residual of climate change impacts minus adaptation. The second interpretation, which takes vulnerability as a “starting point,” views vulnerability as a general characteristic generated by multiple factors and processes. Viewing vulnerability as an end point considers that adaptations and adaptive capacity determine vulnerability, whereas viewing vulnerability as a starting point holds that vulnerability determines adaptive capacity. The practical consequences of these two interpretations are illustrated through the examples of Norway and Mozambique. We show that, if the underlying causes and contexts of vulnerability are not taken into account, there is a danger of underestimating the magnitude (large), scope (social and environmental) and urgency (high) of climate change