21 July 2025
New book makes case for rethink on migration policy
A new book co-authored by a King’s academic makes the case for a fresh perspective on migration, arguing that current security-focused policies are failing.
The Migration Question: Politics, Economics and the Failure of Border Security challenges mainstream thinking on immigration, contending that existing policies that criminalise migrants actually make nations less secure.
The book is co-authored by Professor Leila Simona Talani, from the Department of European and International Studies at King’s, and Dr Matilde Rosina of Brunel University London and a King's College London PhD graduate.
The authors contend that migration from the Global South to the north is an inevitable consequence of globalisation and argue that attempts to deter these flows through border controls and securitisation are not only ineffective but also counterproductive, creating insecurity.
Drawing on original surveys and interviews, the authors make the case that the only viable solution is for countries in Europe and North America to adopt more open policies. Such a move would have positive economic and social effects for both migrants and the host nations.
Published by Hurst and Oxford University Press, the book is available to read now. Find out more here.
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Professor of International Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Italian Politics @ EIS