46: How Migration Management Deals Can Aid Autocrats

In the past decade, wealthier developed countries, particularly those in the EU, have tried a novel tactic to stem the flow of unauthorized migrants from the Global South: paying governments to prevent such individuals from leaving their own country.

Countries tend to promote these migration management deals — worth billions of U.S. dollars — as a way to address the root causes of irregular migration, including the lack of public resources and economic opportunity as well as risks from climate disasters and political instability.

Kelsey Norman, fellow for the Middle East and director of the Women’s Rights, Human Rights, and Refugees Program, and Nicholas R. Micinski, assistant professor at American University, recently published their book, “Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa,” which examines how this funding affects state power and governance in countries on the receiving end of the aid. 

Featured:

• Kelsey Norman, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kelsey-norman  
• Nicholas R. Micinski, Ph.D.: https://www.american.edu/sis/faculty/nmicinski.cfm  

Mentioned in this episode:

• Kelsey Norman and Nicholas R. Micinski, “Aiding Autocrats: Migration Management, Governance, and Repression in Africa” (Cambridge University Press, 2026).

This conversation was recorded on Sept. 30, 2026.

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