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“Wir schaffen das!” : An analysis of the decisions that led to an open-door refugee policy in Germany during the EU immigration crisis, which started in 2015

Groborz, Alexander (2020) “Wir schaffen das!” : An analysis of the decisions that led to an open-door refugee policy in Germany during the EU immigration crisis, which started in 2015.

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Abstract:“Wir schaffen das!”, literally meaning “We can do that!”, is one of the most famous statements in German politics which characterizes the policy responses of the German government to the immigration crisis in 2015. This study is aimed at explaining the decisions that have led to an open-door refugee policy in Germany during the crisis in 2015. The guiding research question is: To what extent can we explain decision of Germany to opt for an open-door refugee policy —as a response to the 2015 EU immigration crisis—by (1) decision-makers’ preferences, (2) national decision-making institutions and (3) the influence of public opinion? Based on several decision-making theories the decision-making process gets reconstructed and analyzed. The thesis concludes that the decision for an open-door refugee policy can be to a large extent explained by the preferences of the decision-makers and the decisionmaking institutions. Especially the policy position of Angela Merkel and her formal competencies as Chancellor are crucial in explaining the decision. Public Opinion is another factor that had substantial influence on the policy positions of the actors involved in the decision-making process.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:88 social and public administration, 89 political science
Programme:Management Society and Technology BSc (56654)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/82380
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