LIST OF PANELS

The general objective of the onsite panel would be to explore how lessons learned from the ongoing Ukrainian displacement crisis can factor into the theoretical debate regarding the overhaul of the international refugees system. For decades, the prevailing assumption in academic as well as policy circles have been that refugees are an exclusively humanitarian subject. However, in 2017 Alexander Betts and Paul Collier proposed a development-based approach towards refugees that would supersede the prevailing ‘humanitarianism’. Their model proposes setting up safe havens in countries of the developing world in the close proximity of conflict zones. In the proposed havens market-based solutions would be deployed to promote the economic autonomy and self-reliance of refugees.

The central research questions of the panel would be: Can we theorize a development-based model for the Ukrainian displacement crisis? Can such a model be mapped out based on existing policy solutions? The scientific relevance of exploring these research questions stems from the uniqueness of the Ukrainian displacement crisis: the conflict that people are fleeing is unfolding in the hearth of Europe and not in the developing world. Consequently, previously theorized policy models cannot be applicable to this crisis without revision because of the vastly different socio-economic situation of Ukraine. For example, any model would have to take into consideration the quintessential role of local NGOs as well as the existence of a strong civil society in the ongoing crisis.

A comparative analysis of European countries’ as well as the EUs response to the ongoing Ukrainian refugee crisis can be used with the aim of identifying best policy practices around the continent that in turn could be incorporated into a development-based model. The model would have to look at two distinct groups of displaced people simultaneously: the refugees in the EU, and the IDPs in Ukraine.

Since the start of the Russian invasion, more than 7,7 million Ukrainians refugees were recorded across Europe, causing the biggest displacement crisis on the continent since the end of the Second World War. The EU for the first time initiated the Temporary Protection Directive which granted citizens and legal residents of Ukraine residency status for up to three years without having to go through the lengthy and complex asylum procedure. The directive originally entered into force in 2001 following the refugee crisis in Kosovo and is meant to tackle the mass influx of non-EU asylum seekers. So far, around 4,4 million Ukrainians registered for temporary protection inside the EU.

At the same time, more than 6 million Ukrainians are displaced inside the country. As a result of the continuing assault on energy infrastructure, Ukraine has been facing significant outages, internet disruptions, prompting calls from Ukraine’s government to save energy by limiting the usage of home appliances. Kyiv was forced to suspend electricity export to the EU to stabilize its own system. All in all, Russia’s methodical bombardment of Ukrainian power and heat-generating infrastructure may force a significant number of IDPs to cross international borders and become refugees in Europe. With this recent escalation, a cease of hostilities in the near future seems even more remote. Consequently, for a large portion of Ukrainian refugees the temporary protection granted by EU countries might not be so temporary. 

All in all, it seems likely that a considerable percentage of refugees will remain in the EU for an extended period of time. This in turn necessitates a transition from short-term, crisis management policies to more long-term approaches – that is, shifting away from ‘humanitarianism’ and towards a development-based framework. The expansion of existing support capacities and infrastructure is necessary both at the EU as well as at the member-state level. Development-based policy solutions needs to be identified and implemented for the long-term integration of Ukrainian refugees into host societies.

In order to better anticipate future flows from Ukraine instead of ad-hoc, member-state level initiatives, a unified European approach has to be devised to aid IDPs. At a theoretical level the situation of IDPs could be analogues to the situation of refugees in haven countries in the developing world (Jordan, Lebanon etc.) That is, both of the groups remain close to the conflict zone, and the choice of onward migration closely correlates with socio-economic participation and autonomy. Consequently, a development-based model would also have to draw from concerted EU policies that aim to boost the resilience of Western Ukraine. Apart from market-based solutions, local Ukrainian NGOs would have to have a central role in a development-based model that aims to prevent a second massive refugee flow into the EU. Finally, the unfolding energy crises, as well as the United States’ role – as one of the major donors – in tackling the refugee crisis would have to be factored into the model as well. 

This panel will only accept onsite presentations.

For the panel, papers are expected that identify policy solutions that can be incorporated into a development-based theoretical model. Papers should be based on comparative policy analysis. Research should be based on empirical data collected by governments, international organizations as well as EU bodies. Field work is also essential to insert the voices of the actual refugees into the ongoing policy discussion. However, papers should aim to incorporate the identified policy solutions into a development-based theoretical framework.

On the one hand, a comparative analysis can entail a contrasting of different countries approaches and policies, however the historical background as well as the present role of each state has to be taken into consideration. For example, Poland and the Czech Republic both host a significant number of Ukrainian refugees, in addition, neither of them had to build up significant institutional capacity to process and care for a large number of asylum-seekers in their recent history. However, unlike Poland, Czechia is not a frontline country in the present refugee crises, so the question arises: are their policy solutions mutually transferable? On the other hand, lessons learned from the 2015 Syrian refugee crisis might also serve as a framework for a comparative analysis. Is it possible to build EU-level consensus – something that mostly eluded the block in the years following 2015 – beyond the repeated extension of the temporary protection directive? Such a comparison could be very valuable since Betts and Collier proposed their development-based approach based on lessons learned from the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015.

Papers shedding light on specific policy inconsistencies are also welcome. For example, in France there is estimated to be between 30,000 and 50,000 undocumented Ukrainian nationals who arrived in the country before the Russian invasion. They are not eligible for the European temporary protection scheme, at the same time they cannot be deported back to Ukraine because of the war, leaving them in a legal limbo. When it comes to theorizing models, their situation could be comparable to the predicament of refugees who live in the urban centers of developing countries being permanently locked out of the official labor market.

Finally, interdisciplinary papers are also welcome. For example, how much does the energy crisis factor into the motivations of IDPs and the general Ukrainian population to flee the country.