Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

6-2025

Document Type

Master's Capstone Project

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Program

International Migration Studies

Advisor

Robin Harper

Subject Categories

International and Area Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Despite it getting harder to immigrate to the EU legally, refugees from the global south still try to immigrate to developed countries in the EU through transit states in the Balkan region. In search of refuge from wars, better economic prospects, or family reunions, over the past decade, many migrants have attempted to travel North through transit states like North Macedonia, Albania, and Montenegro. A qualitative study was conducted following a theoretical approach by Adamson and Tsourapas (2019), who categorized migration states in the global south into three types, i.e., nationalizing, developmental, or neoliberal. The paper followed this approach to analyze primary and secondary sources of information on each state’s migration reception and management. The aim was to establish which category each of the three transit states fell under (based on reports on migrants’ experiences), and possibly suggest ways of expanding these categorizations (s). The results also showed that all three Balkan countries fell under the neoliberal migration state category. However, each of them had unique characteristics as a transit state, i.e., geographically-impelled, culturally-obliged, and advanced. After examining the three different approaches, the study compared them to a historical Albanian migrant reception approach that saved Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. The study then suggests that Besa is an alternative to neoliberal migration for three reasons. First, the Besa approach saved the lives of so many refugees during the Holocaust that Albanian hospitality is still celebrated today. Secondly, the Albanian approach has demonstrated that warm migrant reception has better outcomes for refugees, making it a better/more well-suited way for transit states to treat migrants in the future. Subsequently, the study recommends that proper (welcoming) leadership is one way that other transit states can begin to follow Albania’s example.

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