Construction of Migration Policies in the Eastern Neighbourhood of the European Union

This paper focuses on the construction of migration policies in the EU neighbourhood. While realist accounts insist that nation-states are rational actors and policies are based on their needs and interest-based calculations, the constructivist arguments, promoted by World Society theory, emphasize the impact of global political culture on shaping policies of social entities. On the example of migration policy-making in the EU neighbourhood post-Soviet states I argue that migration policies are highly standardized despite diverging geopolitical interests of these nation-states. Population control migration models are promoted under the global cultural theme of economic progress and are highly individual-centred in content, regardless of emigration or immigration concerns of nation-states, their power dynamics and economic standing. These scripted purposes for policy adoption diffuse regardless of imposed conditionality.