Conclusion: International Migration Governance, Public Goods, Bads, and Preferences

The public goods framework explains the dynamics of international migration governance and the various challenges states face in addressing this phenomenon. International migration governance is fragmented, and its policy implications result in different benefits and costs accruing to states. The fragmented migration regimes imply different spillovers for different actors, playing a significant role in the international policymaking process. This book provides insights how the public goods framework can be applied to understand international migration governance, by expanding the literature through a comparative analysis across different continents. International migration governance can be perceived by nation-states as an asset or a liability—a “good” or a “bad.” The factors that determine whether a something is a good or a bad are the individual’s preferences for different quantities of the product or service. The public goods approach allows the authors of this volume to explore the dynamics of collective action; problems of goods and bads; the aggregation effects of public goods; burden sharing; regional goods; and club goods. The public goods approach to international migration governance opens new avenues of analysis that can help explain the success and failure of migration policies.