All European states have the legal right to grant asylum but only Germany is obliged by law to do so. Liza Schuster contributes to the asylum debate primarily in the area of comparative politics in this study of British and German policies on asylum practice.

On the eve of the American Revolution, the refugee was, according to British tradition, a Protestant who sought shelter from continental persecution. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, British refuge would be celebrated internationally as being open to all persecuted foreigners. Britain had become a haven for fugitives as diverse as Karl Marx and Louis Napoleon, Simón Bolívar and Frederick Douglass. How and why did the refugee category expand? How, in a period when no law forbade foreigners entry to Britain, did the refugee emerge as a category for humanitarian and political action? Why did the plight of these particular foreigners become such a characteristically British concern? Current understandings about the origins of refuge have focused on the period after 1914. Britannia's Embrace offers the first historical analysis of the origins of this modern humanitarian norm in the long nineteenth century. At a time when Britons were reshaping their own political culture, this charitable endeavor became constitutive of what it meant to be liberal on the global stage. Like British anti-slavery, its sister movement, campaigning on behalf of foreign refugees seemed to give purpose to the growing empire and the resources of empire gave it greater strength. By the dawn of the twentieth century, British efforts on behalf of persecuted foreigners declined precipitously, but its legacies in law and in modern humanitarian politics would be long-lasting. In telling this story, Britannia's Embrace puts refugee relief front and center in histories of human rights and international law and of studies of Britain in the world. In so doing, it describes the dynamic relationship between law, resources, and moral storytelling that remains critical to humanitarianism today.

FIRST PRIZE WINNER OF THE SLS BIRKS PRIZE FOR OUTSTANDING LEGAL SCHOLARSHIP 2011 How are we to assess and evaluate the quality of the tribunal systems that do the day-to-day work of adjudicating upon the disputes individuals have with government? This book examines how the idea of adjudicative quality works in practice by presenting a detailed case-study of the tribunal system responsible for determining appeals lodged by foreign nationals who claim that they will be at risk of persecution or ill-treatment on return to their country of origin. Over recent years, the asylum appeal process has become a major area of judicial decision-making and the most frequently restructured tribunal system. Asylum adjudication is also one of the most difficult areas of decision-making in the modern legal system. Integrating empirical research with legal analysis, this book provides an in-depth study of the development and operation of this tribunal system and of asylum decision-making. The book examines how this particular appeal process seeks to mediate the tension between the competing values under which it operates. There are chapters examining the organisation of the tribunal system, its procedures, the nature of fact-finding in asylum cases and the operation of onward rights of challenge. An examination as to how the tensions inherent in the idea of administrative justice are manifested in the context of a tribunal system responsible for making potentially life or death decisions, this book fills a gap in the literature and will be of value to those interested in administrative law and asylum adjudication.

Providing a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary analysis of key issues in the field, this topical Research Handbook explores asylum and migration policy in a global context. Chapters consider national, regional and international responses to refugees and forced migration, examining the evolution of asylum and refugee policies and why gaps remain in protection.

This book compares the policies of Australia and Italy towards boat people who have arrived in the two countries since the early 1990s. While the regular and varied inflow of immigrants arriving at national airports, ferry terminals and train stations is seldom witnessed by the public, the arrival of boat people is often played out in the media and consequently attracts disproportionate political and public attention. Both Australia and Italy faced similar dilemmas, but the nature of political debate on the issue, the types of strategies introduced, and the effects that policy changes had on boat people diverged considerably. This book argues that contrasting migration path dependencies, disparate political values within the Left, and varying international obligations best explain the different approaches taken by the two countries to boat people.

Studies in Law, Politics, and Society is essential reading for legal scholars with a unique focus on the disciplines of sociology, politics and the humanities. This 60th anniversary issue examines how law defines identity. It discusses key topics such as; birthright citizenship, immigrant membership, immigration histories, and citizenship policies.

Some 10 million migrant workers cross national borders each year. This book examines the businesses that move low-skilled workers, explaining recruitment, remuneration and retention, and showing how national borders increase recruitment costs. Tackling the often murky world of labor migration, it fills an important void in this fast-growing field.

It is essential that social work students understand the lasting impact political decision making can have on service users, yet little guidance exists on this subject. This valuable book provides a comprehensive introduction to politics in social work, unifying the themes of political ideology and social construction across several areas of social work practice, including emerging areas of practice. The book: • Introduces the dominant political ideologies in the UK; • Examines the impact of these ideological perspectives on different demographic groups; • Explores emerging areas of growing political interest such as radicalisation; • Employs case studies and examples from practice to aid student understanding. Including helpful key points to guide reading at the beginning of each chapter, as well as exercises for seminars and further reading recommendations, this text will be an invaluable resource to all students in social work.

The book examines the phenomenon of immigration federalism: its main characteristics, why and how it has developed, its implications for immigration systems (in general) and non-citizens’ rights (in particular). The book introduces the reader to theoretical perspectives on immigration federalism through three sets of literature – federalism, governance and non-citizens’ rights – that provide a necessary framework for understanding immigration federalism’s multiple facets and impacts. It also offers an analysis of immigration federalism through case studies of six jurisdictions: Australia, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, the EU and the US. Despite increased sub-national activity in immigration regulation in several federal states, very little research has been dedicated so far to comparing how federal states deal with immigration federalism. Comparative studies on the human rights implications of immigration federalism have received even less attention. This book seeks to fill the gap in this area and is an important contribution to the field, providing the reader with a better understanding of the complex issues surrounding immigration federalism and its impact on non-citizens.

Policy convergence and policy learning have emerged as central themes in the study of public policy in recent years. Previously published as a special issue of German Politics, this landmark volume complements the rich literature on theoretical aspects as well as individual case studies by undertaking a systematic comparison of policy convergence between two specific countries, the UK and Germany.