Global: Political use of asylum policies in Europe

The huge inflow of asylum seekers to European countries in the early 1990s drove those countries to initiate policies that restricted asylum seekers’ rights and benefits. Were these policies spontaneous responses to the mounting inflow or instead political outcomes determined by political factors such as partisanship and election timing? This journal article finds that upcoming elections increase the likelihood of policy introduction. This election effect is greater in the presence of right-wing parties.