What Do We Talk when We Tal about Migration Regimes. The Diverse Theoretical Roots of an Increasingly Popular Concept

Abstract

Since the 1990s, the notion of “migration regime” has enjoyed a growing popularity in social sciences. The popularity of a term has not been matched, however, by the development of a precise definition. Through a hermeneutical interpretation of the literature on migration regimes, we show how, despite its current imperfections and ambiguities, the concept provides a much-needed middle path in the analysis of the regulation of international migration. One that enables, for instance, an adequately complex, and yet realistic, understanding of the current role of nation-states: neither almighty, undisputed actors, nor marginal, powerless ones.