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Migration Diplomacy in International Politics

This ERC-funded project examines the role of migration diplomacy in shaping contemporary international politics.

It explores how states deploy cross-border mobility as a tool of foreign policy, with attention to practices of coercion, cooperation, and issue-linkage across diverse global contexts. Drawing on comparative case studies, archival research, and interviews, the project traces how migration diplomacy affects inter-state bargaining, refugee governance, and transnational power relations. At its halfway stage, MIGDIPLO has generated a substantial body of outputs, including peer-reviewed articles, policy papers, and collaborative workshops. The project contributes both to academic debates on migration and international relations, and to policy discussions on global mobility governance.

Research objectives

  • Develop a typology of migration diplomacy as a mode of inter-state interaction.
  • Analyse how states instrumentalise refugee and migrant populations in foreign policy.
  • Investigate the diffusion of migration diplomacy practices beyond Europe and the Middle East.
  • Assess implications for international cooperation, crisis management, and global governance.

Outputs and impact

To demonstrate the project's productivity, we feature a selection of recent high-impact publications and policy interventions.

Selected Journal Articles

  • Tsourapas, G. (2025). ‘Credible Fictions: How States Stage Refugee Governance for Geopolitical Gain.’ Journal of Refugee Studies. doi:10.1093/jrs/feaf068
  • Tsourapas, G. (2025). ‘The Strategic Politics of Cross-Border Mobility: A Typology of Migration Interdependence.’ International Migration Review. doi:10.1177/01979183251369832
  • El-Anis, I. & Tsourapas, G. (2025). ‘Eco-Humanitarian Rentierism and the New Geopolitics of Vulnerability.’ International Affairs, 101(6), 2149–72.
  • Fernández-Molina, I. & Tsourapas, G. (2024). ‘Understanding Migration Power in International Studies.’ International Affairs, 100(6), 2461–79.
  • Sadiq, K. & Tsourapas, G. (2024). ‘Labour Coercion and Commodification: From the British Empire to Postcolonial Migration States.’ Journal of Ethnic & Migration Studies, 50(3), 617–36.

Policy Papers & Book Chapters

  • Tsourapas, G. (2025). ‘Migration Diplomacy in Greek-Turkish Relations: Geopolitical Dimensions and Rent-Seeking.’ ELIAMEP Working Papers.
  • Tsourapas, G. (2025). ‘Managing Forced Migration in the Arab World: Refugee Rentierism as an Emerging Global Norm.’ In Refuge in the Arab East and West (Bloomsbury).
  • Lynch, M. & Tsourapas, G. (eds.) (2024). ‘The Politics of Migration and Refugee Rentierism in the Middle East.’ POMEPS Studies Vol. 50.

Partner organisations and sponsors

  • Funded by the European Research Council (UKRI Frontier Research Guarantee, Grant Ref: EP/X019667/1).
  • Hosted at the University of Birmingham (School of Government / POLSIS).

Events and Engagement

The project PI regularly engages with policymakers and academic audiences globally. Recent highlights include:

Keynote & Invited Lectures (Selected)

  • OSCE (Vienna, 2024): ‘The Significance of Migration Diplomacy in the Context of the OSCE’.
  • Harvard University/Wilson Center (2023): ‘Decolonizing the Study of Forced Migration’.
  • LSE (London, 2024): ‘Migration Diplomacy and Electoral Politics in Greek-Turkish Relations’.
  • Tufts University (Boston, 2023): ‘Migration Diplomacy as a Three-Level Game’.
  • Scottish Hellenic Society (2024): The Karkalas Lecture on Greek-Turkish Relations.

Conference Organisation

  • University of Glasgow (2023): ‘The Politics of Migration and Refugee Rentierism in the Middle East’ (Co-organised with POMEPS).
  • University of Glasgow (2023): ‘Researching Forced Migration in the Middle East’ (Co-organised with CBRL).

Principal Investigator & Global Networks

University of Birmingham Lead Professor Gerasimos Tsourapas 125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of International Relations

Associated Research Grants

  • Carnegie Corporation of New York (2024–27): Securitisation Without Security: How Migration is Shaping the Global Order (Co-PI).
  • Horizon Europe (2022–25): GAPS: De-Centring the Study of Migrant Returns and Readmission Policies in Europe and Beyond (Co-PI).

Visiting Fellowships & Affiliations

  • Tufts University: Senior Fellow, Henry J. Leir Institute (2025–)
  • The American University in Cairo: Distinguished University Scholar (2024–25)
  • LSE: Visiting Professor, Hellenic Observatory (2023–24)
  • ELIAMEP: Non-Resident Senior Research Fellow (Athens)

Current Research Directions

  • From Material Leverage to Symbolic Power: Building on MIGDIPLO’s analysis of transactional diplomacy, current research explores the concepts of ‘refugee governance credibility’ and ‘refugee rentierism’. This strand examines how states use symbolic performances, such as credible fictions and performative enforcement, to secure geopolitical rents, shifting the focus from the material exchange of migrants to the symbolic production of governance.

University of Birmingham lead

  • Professor Gerasimos Tsourapas

    125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of International Relations

    Professors Tsourapas's research explores the intersections of migration, international relations, and global governance.