Migration Governance in Countries of Transit: Assessing Policy Implications in Algeria

Located between sub-Saharan Africa and southern Europe on the edge of the Mediterranean the country of Algeria has experienced the challenges of a transit state in attempting to prevent irregular migration through its territory. The question guiding this research aimed to explore the conditions under which and with what regard to sovereignty do countries that experience extensive through-migration adopt global governance norms and implement policies which contribute to the broader international goals of safe, orderly and regular migration. This research project examines findings from an expert survey which indicate that, despite a strong sovereignty ethic, Algeria approaches irregular migration governance from a domestic security angle with a priority on maintaining public order and satisfaction. Furthermore, findings from a policy assessment based on the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Migration Governance Framework (MiGOF) revealed the causes for such an approach to be based more a lack of internal consistency rather than deliberate sovereignty assertion in response to external pressure