Browsing by Subject "Free Movement of Persons"

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    The Free Movement of Persons in Southern Africa: Aligning State Agendas with the Rights of all Migrants
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2025) Maple, Nicholas; Wanjiku Kihato, Caroline; Sin departamento asociado
    The push for free movement of persons and inclusion policies in Southern Africa continues due to the perceived benefits to all migrants, including refugees and other forced migrants. Advocacy is commonly driven by normative frameworks derived from international legal protocols and nations' obligations to these mechanisms. However, these approaches often overlook the political, economic and social challenges that states face. In the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, high unemployment, poor economic prospects, fragmented politics, and populism hinder regional integration. As a result, direct migration advocacy is unlikely to shift state policy in the short or medium term. Drawing on over fifty key informant interviews with policy makers and stakeholders at international, regional and national levels, we argue that the effectiveness of free movement of persons protocols and inclusion policies in Southern Africa depends on recognising—and navigating—the political economy of integration across regional, national, and local levels.