Migration and Security Analysis

Migration and (Human) Security

• Khalid Koser's chapter examines the relationship between migration and security, offering a nuanced perspective.
• Common myths link migration to security threats, such as increased crime or terrorism. This is often unsupported by empirical evidence.
• Migration is multifaceted and includes legitimate security concerns like border management and human trafficking but these aren't inherently synonymous with a direct threat.
• Refugees and migrants are more often the victims than perpetrators of insecurity.
• Migrants often contribute positively to host societies by filling labor shortages and enriching cultural diversity.
• Connections between migration and terrorism are tenuous; isolated cases don't justify generalizations.
• Policies targeting migrants as terrorists can harm communities and potentially increase security risks.
• Governments should prioritize evidence-based, integrated policies rather than reacting to fear and misinformation.
• Integrating migrants and ensuring their rights, fostering social cohesion are more effective security strategies than exclusionary measures.

Lecture 2

• Migration and security issues are divided into hard and soft security issues.

• Hard security issues include threats to the nation-state, such as import of ethnic tensions, radicalization, and funding of terrorism.

• Soft security issues include risks of destabilizing economic prosperity and national welfare, including challenges of social integration, impacts on national identity, competition in the labor market, competition in the housing market, and impacts on social services.

• Labeling any issue a security risk has significant implications, impacting policies and procedures.

• A demographic research approach is needed to approach migration and security.

Human Security Approach

• The approach is centered on people and aims for preventative and comprehensive measures.
• It emphasizes reducing threats to human security through protection and empowerment.
• It promotes freedom from fear and freedom to want, as well as freedom to live in dignity.
• Types of insecurities and root causes: Economic insecurity, food insecurity, health insecurity, environmental insecurity, and personal insecurity.

Human Security and Migration

• Human and national security are intertwined—lack of one undermines the other.
• National security can undermine human security (government failing to provide basic services.)
• Migration can help support national security (economic, social diversification, political development), and
• Host country–migration links: sovereignty issues, crime, challenges to national resources and integration issues, competition for resources like jobs and housing, increased population resentment towards immigrants, and decreased public confidence in government policy.

Intergroup Bias

• Intergroup bias is a tendency to favor one's own group (ingroup) over others (outgroups).
• The bias ranges from subtle preferences to overt hostility.
• Social Identity Theory (SIT): Individuals derive part of their self-concept from group memberships.
• Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT): Competition over scarce resources fosters intergroup conflict and bias.
• Cognitive Theories: Stereotyping, categorization simplify complex social information, but can be biased..
• Key factors influencing intergroup bias include group membership and perceived threat.
• The consequences of intergroup bias include social inequality and marginalization.

Reducing Intergroup Bias

• Contact Hypothesis: Positive, cooperative intergroup contact in appropriate conditions (equal status, common goals), can reduce bias.
• Cognitive interventions: Increasing awareness of stereotypes and fostering empathy can mitigate bias.
• Reducing intergroup bias involves strategies that minimize the categorization of individuals.

Intergroup Ideologies

• Multiculturalism, assimilation, and colorblindness are different approaches to intergroup relations.
• Multiculturalism emphasizes the celebration of cultural diversity, while assimilation prioritizes cultural integration of minorities into the majority culture, colorblindness avoids group distinctions, and instead focuses on common characteristics..
• The article stresses that the effectiveness of ideologies depends on the context.
• Intergroup ideologies involve power dynamics. Dominant groups often prefer assimilation or colorblindness to maintain their status while minority groups often favor multiculturalism. This is due to the recognition of the distinctive identities and opportunities for expression in multiculturalism versus the other ideologies.

Diversity in institutions

• Improved performance, redressing societal injustice, Increased trust in institutions, and better representation in diverse institutions are the potential benefits.
• Passive vs. active representation in institutions is an issue.
• Passive representation is when an institution employs individuals from different societal groups proportionally to their presence in the population.
• Active representation happens when one is elected to represent, and address the concerns of the population that elected them

Big Data and Policing

• Algorithmic bias in policing can lead to discriminatory/unequal allocation of resources and legal claims.
• Over-reliance on algorithmic tools can undermine officers’ discretion.
• Predictive policing uses data to predict crime, potentially leading to discrimination or inaccurate conclusions.
• Concerns exist about the transparency and accountability of predictive policing.

Myanmar's Citizenship Crisis

• Myanmar's citizenship laws and their historical biases against ethnic minorities, particularly the Rohingya.
• The Rohingya face severe discrimination and denial of citizenship rights, despite being in a country where there are clear laws, rules and policies concerning ethnic minority rights.
• Concerns exist about human rights implications, regional and global consequences, with possible implications for regional stability; forced migration to neighboring countries can be problematic.
• Reforms are needed regarding policy and political approaches to address the issue of citizenship rights, and to deal with the problems associated with those without citizenship.