Julia Dahlvik – författare

This book brings together theoretical and empirical research, as well as interdisciplinary and comparative studies to direct the contemporary debates within the field of ombuds scholarship.Most countries have public ombuds institutions that function as mechanisms for dispute resolution alternative to the courts for citizens who seek redress for complaints against public bodies. While research on these oversight bodies has long focused on legal aspects, since the last decade historical, political and social aspects are increasingly studied. This book makes a contribution in this multi-disciplinary field by filling two key gaps in the literature: the first part showcases critical theoretical approaches, the second part covers recent empirical research. Taken together, the approach laid out in this volume promotes a sociological understanding of ombuds institutions as embedded in specific social contexts, which are formed by societal forces while also contributing to the shaping of modern societies. Critical examination of how and under which conditions ombuds operate helps identify blind spots in both the literature and practice. On the basis of case studies from different world regions, including Australia, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the USA, investigated from various disciplinary perspectives, the combined contributions allow us to develop the field of ombuds research further. Its contents and accessible style make the book relevant for anyone interested in ombuds and oversight institutions: academics, researchers, students, and practitioners alike.

This open access monograph provides sociological insight into governmental action on the administration of asylum in the European context. It offers an in-depth understanding of how decision-making officials encounter and respond to structural contradictions in the asylum procedure produced by diverging legal, political, and administrative objectives.The study focuses on structural aspects on the one hand, such as legal and organisational elements, and aspects of agency on the other hand, examining the social practices and processes going on at the frontside and the backside of the administrative asylum system.Coverage is based on a case study using ethnographic methods, including qualitative interviews, participant observation, as well as artefact analysis. This case study is positioned within a broader context and allows for comparison within and beyond the European system, building a bridge to the international scientific community.In addition, the author links the empirical findings to sociological theory. She explains the identified patterns of social practice in asylum administration along the theories of social practices, social construction and structuration. This helps to contribute to the often missing theoretical development in this particular field of research.Overall, this book provides a sociological contribution to a key issue in today's debate on immigration in Europe and beyond. It will appeal to researchers, policy makers, administrators, and practitioners as well as students and readers interested in immigration and asylum.

This open access monograph provides sociological insight into governmental action on the administration of asylum in the European context. It offers an in-depth understanding of how decision-making officials encounter and respond to structural contradictions in the asylum procedure produced by diverging legal, political, and administrative objectives.The study focuses on structural aspects on the one hand, such as legal and organisational elements, and aspects of agency on the other hand, examining the social practices and processes going on at the frontside and the backside of the administrative asylum system.Coverage is based on a case study using ethnographic methods, including qualitative interviews, participant observation, as well as artefact analysis. This case study is positioned within a broader context and allows for comparison within and beyond the European system, building a bridge to the international scientific community.In addition, the author links the empirical findings to sociological theory. She explains the identified patterns of social practice in asylum administration along the theories of social practices, social construction and structuration. This helps to contribute to the often missing theoretical development in this particular field of research.Overall, this book provides a sociological contribution to a key issue in today's debate on immigration in Europe and beyond. It will appeal to researchers, policy makers, administrators, and practitioners as well as students and readers interested in immigration and asylum.