Jesper Bjarnesen – författare

This book explores the crucial political and diplomatic issue of migration, which over the past decade, has become a central theme in relations between Africa and Europe. It discusses the diverse perspectives of African and European actors on migration and presents a more just and sustainable migration governance agenda, against the backdrop of the more detailed reflections on the key policy priorities, drivers, regional dynamics, and actors influencing African–EU migration. By providing an insight into the complexities and challenges of Africa–Europe relations with regard to migration governance, this book aims to generate an understanding about the disparities within this policy field to work towards more common ground and long-term policy solutions.Print edition not for sale in Sub Saharan Africa

This book explores the crucial political and diplomatic issue of migration, which over the past decade, has become a central theme in relations between Africa and Europe. It discusses the diverse perspectives of African and European actors on migration and presents a more just and sustainable migration governance agenda, against the backdrop of the more detailed reflections on the key policy priorities, drivers, regional dynamics, and actors influencing African–EU migration. By providing an insight into the complexities and challenges of Africa–Europe relations with regard to migration governance, this book aims to generate an understanding about the disparities within this policy field to work towards more common ground and long-term policy solutions.Print edition not for sale in Sub Saharan Africa

Human mobility is increasingly viewed in ambivalent and contradictory ways by African and European actors. While European policymakers tend to focus on the need to stem irregular migration, facilitate returns and strengthen border controls, African stakeholders tend to stress the positive effects of migration and the promotion of legal mobility. This divergence demonstrates each party’s different priorities and political calculations. Nevertheless, there is scope for compromise on many issues, including on legal migration. Furthermore, the European Union’s (EU) interest in addressing the root causes of migration aligns with the development priorities of African governments. The three overarching goals of Worlds Apart? Perspectives on African-EU Migration are: first, to contribute to narrowing the differences between African and European approaches to managing migration; second to reconcile divergent perspectives from diverse actors in Africa–EU migration; and third, to encourage greater public awareness and policy cooperation in this vital area in order to protect vulnerable migrants In December 2018, 164 member states of the United Nations (UN) adopted the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, the first-ever UN-led global agreement on a common approach to international migration governance in all of its dimensions. This book provides an analysis of the opportunities from which both Africa and Europe can benefit following the adoption of the UN Global Compact on Migration. This 20-chapter and seven-part edited volume offers an accessible introduction to Africa’s security and governance challenges in relation to migration; African migration to the EU; Africa and the global migration governance agenda; the root causes of Africa–EU migration; the role of civil society in Africa–EU migration; the UN’s role in Africa-EU migration; as well as issues concerning African diasporas and remittances. The essays are academically rigorous and policy-relevant, but are also accessible and jargon-free. The book is thus aimed at both experts and the general reader. The volume further seeks to shape policy and public debates in Africa and Europe by highlighting the positive aspects of migration which are often missed in discussions around these issues. African migrants not only often make substantial contributions to the growth and prosperity of their countries of origin, but are also doing so in their countries of destination through tax contributions, and expenditures on housing, goods and other services. Worlds Apart? Perspectives on Africa–EU Migration, thus, explicitly seeks to reconcile misconceptions of Africa–EU migration in an effort to offer nuanced contributions to these ongoing debates.

Multiparty elections have become the bellwether by which all democracies are judged, and the spread of these systems across Africa has been widely hailed as a sign of the continent’s progress towards stability and prosperity. But such elections bring their own challenges, particularly the often intense internecine violence following disputed results.While the consequences of such violence can be profound, undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process and in some cases plunging countries into civil war or renewed dictatorship, little is known about the causes. By mapping, analysing and comparing instances of election violence in different localities across Africa – including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda – this collection of detailed case studies sheds light on the underlying dynamics and sub-national causes behind electoral conflicts, revealing them to be the result of a complex interplay between democratisation and the older, patronage-based system of ‘Big Man’ politics.Essential for scholars and policymakers across the social sciences and humanities interested in democratization, peace-keeping and peace studies, Violence in African Elections provides important insights into why some communities prove more prone to electoral violence than others, offering practical suggestions for preventing violence through improved electoral monitoring, voter education, and international assistance.

Multiparty elections have become the bellwether by which all democracies are judged, and the spread of these systems across Africa has been widely hailed as a sign of the continent’s progress towards stability and prosperity. But such elections bring their own challenges, particularly the often intense internecine violence following disputed results.While the consequences of such violence can be profound, undermining the legitimacy of the democratic process and in some cases plunging countries into civil war or renewed dictatorship, little is known about the causes. By mapping, analysing and comparing instances of election violence in different localities across Africa – including Kenya, Ivory Coast and Uganda – this collection of detailed case studies sheds light on the underlying dynamics and sub-national causes behind electoral conflicts, revealing them to be the result of a complex interplay between democratisation and the older, patronage-based system of ‘Big Man’ politics.Essential for scholars and policymakers across the social sciences and humanities interested in democratization, peace-keeping and peace studies, Violence in African Elections provides important insights into why some communities prove more prone to electoral violence than others, offering practical suggestions for preventing violence through improved electoral monitoring, voter education, and international assistance.

African migrants have become increasingly demonised in public debate and political rhetoric. There is much speculation about the incentives and trajectories of Africans on the move, and often these speculations are implicitly or overtly geared towards discouraging and policing their movements. What is rarely understood or scrutinised however, are the intricate ways in which African migrants are marginalised and excluded from public discourse; not only in Europe but in migrant-receiving contexts across the globe.Invisibility in African Displacements offers a series of case studies that explore these dynamics. What tends to be either ignored or demonised in public debates on African migration are the deliberate strategies of avoidance or assimilation that migrants make use of to gain access to the destinations or opportunities they seek, or to remain below the radar of restrictive governance regimes.This books offers fine-grained analysis of the ways in which African migrants negotiate structural and strategic invisibilities, adding innovative approaches to our understanding of both migrant vulnerabilities and resilience.