POLIM project investigates how and why countries voluntarily implement regional migration policies in the absence of supranational enforcement mechanisms and in weaker institutional settings. It does so by studying the implementation of regional migration policies in four subnational units (one province, one autonomous city and two states) of two multilevel political settings: Argentina and Brazil. Argentina and Brazil are federal states, both of which are part of Mercosur and have subnational units with high levels of autonomy. These subnational units many times implement regional, national and subnational policies, including border crossings and the issuance of residence permits for non-nationals. By studying the implementation of Mercosur policies by the subnational units of two federal states, POLIM aims to shed light on the functioning of regionalism in the Global South and in subnational units by exploring how regional migration policies work in practice.

This project has two main objectives: First, to expand the state of knowledge about the multilevel implementation of regional policies in South America with a comparative perspective (how). With this aim, it will produce an implementation map based on quantitative data. This map will identify the similarities and differences of the policy outcomes in Argentina and Brazil and in the two subnational units in each country. The second aim is to contribute to theorization on the functioning of regionalism in the Global South. By looking at the multilevel interactions of the policymaking/implementing actors, POLIM project will explain why regional policies are implemented in strongly intergovernmental settings and it will identify the main institutional and political mechanisms that account for the implementation of regional migration policies in South America.

Publications:

Journal articles

• Brumat, Leiza and Freier, Luisa Feline (forthcoming). Liberalización de políticas migratorias suramericanas: ¿contestación de la gobernanza global de las migraciones? Pensamiento Propio.

Blogs

• Brumat, Leiza (2022). ‘A US-designed Migration Pact for the Americas?’. Eurac Research Science Blogs, 27 June. https://www.eurac.edu/en/blogs/mobile-people-and-diverse-societies/a-us-designed-migration-pact-for-the-americas
  • Re-published in the MPC blog https://blogs.eui.eu/migrationpolicycentre/a-us-designed-migration-pact-for-the-americas/
• Acker, Stephanie and Brumat, Leiza (2022). ‘The Relevance of Faith Actors’ Partnerships for the Global Compact on Refugees’. ASILE Forum, 9 June. https://www.asileproject.eu/the-relevance-of-faith-actors-partnerships-for-the-global-compact-on-refugees/

Op-Eds

• Brumat, Leiza (2022). ‘¿Un pacto migratorio para las Américas elaborado por Estados Unidos?’ Clarín (Argentina), 20 July https://www.clarin.com/opinion/-pacto-migratorio-americas-elaborado-unidos-_0_yCmTchUTty.html
• Brumat, Leiza (2022). ‘Um pacto migratorio para as Americas desenhado pelos EUA?’ Folha di Sao Paulo, 15 July https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/colunas/latinoamerica21/2022/07/um-pacto-migratorio-para-as-americas-desenhado-pelos-eua.shtml