Credible fictions : how states stage refugee governance for geopolitical gain

TSOURAPAS, Gerasimos

doi:10.1093/jrs/feaf068

Credible fictions : how states stage refugee governance for geopolitical gain

dc.contributor.author	TSOURAPAS, Gerasimos
dc.date.accessioned	2025-10-30T17:32:24Z
dc.date.available	2025-10-30T17:32:24Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.description	Published online: 29 October 2025	en
dc.description.abstract	How is refugee governance constructed for geopolitical gain? This article introduces the concept of credible fictions to theorize how states strategically curate aspects of refugee governance to appear as responsible partners. These fictions are not outright lies, but plausible distortions that produce legible signs of humanitarian strain and institutional responsibility. The article identifies three modalities: illusions of scale, in which population figures are exaggerated to amplify geopolitical relevance; performative enforcement, where control is symbolically enacted to signal responsibility; and staged compliance, in which policy metrics are curated to suggest implementation without structural reform. These practices allow states to preserve sovereign discretion while securing international recognition and material support, often with the tacit endorsement of international organizations. Rather than assessing veracity, the analysis centres on how credibility is constructed, by whom, and to what end. It reframes refugee rent-seeking as a practice grounded in visibility rather than outcomes, and highlights symbolic performance as a core strategy in migration diplomacy.	en
dc.format.mimetype	application/pdf	en
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of refugee studies, 2025, Art. feaf068, OnlineFirst	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1093/jrs/feaf068
dc.identifier.issn	1471-6925
dc.identifier.issn	0951-6328
dc.identifier.other	feaf068
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/1814/93905
dc.language.iso	en	en
dc.orcid.putcode	1814/93443:195667637
dc.publisher	Oxford University Press	en
dc.relation.ispartof	Journal of refugee studies	en
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess	en
dc.rights.license	Attribution 4.0 International	en
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Refugee governance	en
dc.subject	Migration diplomacy	en
dc.subject	Refugee rent-seeking	en
dc.subject	Geopolitics of migration	en
dc.subject	Credible fictions	en
dc.title	Credible fictions : how states stage refugee governance for geopolitical gain	en
dc.type	Article	en
dspace.entity.type	Publication
person.identifier.orcid	0000-0002-2746-9752
person.identifier.other	57153
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