A Set-Theoretic Approach to EU Readmission and Return

This chapter outlines the research design for analysing EU cooperation on readmission and return. It introduces the basics of Qualitative Comparative AnalysisQualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) (QCA), focusing on necessary and sufficient conditions for cooperation. The analysis relies on the key features equifinality, conjunctural causation and asymmetry. A novel set-theoretic approach compares readmission and return policy outcomes across 57 non-EU countries from 2015 to 2019. The conditions and the outcomes are operationalised and calibrated based on extensive analysis of the raw data.