Irregular migration and the 'Southern European model' of migration

Abstract

Southern European countries, especially those which are EU members, share similar migration histories, being traditionally countries of emigration but now having to deal with large numbers of immigrants, many of whom arrive via irregular channels facilitated by smugglers, or enter by legitimate means as tourists and then overstay. This paper introduces a special issue of this journal on the theme of irregular migration. It starts by recounting the implications of the recent (October 2013) Lampedusa tragedy. The remainder of the paper is in three parts. We first explore the flexible concept of irregular migration, including questions of definition and migration policy—especially the policy of regularisation, which has been widespread in the four largest Southern EU states. Next, we describe what has been called the ‘Southern European Model of Migration’ and its constituent elements and theoretical foundations, a key part of which is the dynamic interrelationship between irregular migration and the informal economy. Finally, we introduce the six papers that follow, highlighting their key findings and significant research contributions.