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Accessible vs Applicable Policies? A Discussion on Calculated Informality of Afghan Migrants in Turkey

Bibliographic Data

ID7473640
AuthorsShaddin Almasri (0000-0002-4539-618X, Universität für Weiterbildung Krems, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume24
Issue1
Pages212-228
Publication date2026-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1556-2948 • E-ISSN: 1556-2956
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15562948.2023.2291490
OpenAlexW4390270760
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited36

This paper explores the role of calculated informality in the interplay of policies linked to Afghan migration and refuge in Turkey, particularly through the lens of their applicability to this population. Relying on a qualitative case study approach, this research utilizes legal documents, organizational reports, and academic research, supplemented by 44 semi-structured interviews with various key stakeholders in Turkey, including migrant and refugee advocates, donors, INGOs, and civil society organizations. This research finds that policies that are applicable cause informality by failing to be accessible, whether through temporal or spatial restrictions that limit access to economic opportunities, social and community integration, and state services, ultimately illegalizing this demographic. It therefore concludes that the policies and practices that apply to Afghans in Turkey form a strategy of calculated informality by the Turkish state, created through limitations of policy outreach, which maintain their presence due to their economic function as cheap labor yet manage their inflows through security practices including deportation

Afghan · Civil society · Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Function (biology · Outreach · Political science · Population · Public relations · Qualitative research · Refugee · Social science · Sociology · State (computer science · Turkish · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Public Administration · Turkey's Politics and Society

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Unique citing works1
Citations per year0,5
Citation span2024 - 2024 (1)
Citation velocityrecent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 1

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