Articles by Pierre G. Van Wolleghem

October 12, 2026

How governments shape asylum outcomes

Pierre G. Van Wolleghem
Refugees are not born of persecution; they are made by states. People may flee war, violence or persecution, but they only become refugees once a state decides they qualify for protection. Asylum is thus not simply a humanitarian matter; it is also a question of how states work. Pierre Georges Van Wolleghem investigates the quiet politics of asylum decision-making
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photograph of Pierre G. Van Wolleghem
Pierre G. Van Wolleghem
Senior Researcher, NORCE Research / Associate Researcher, University of Bergen

Pierre specialises in migration and asylum policy in multilevel governance contexts.

His research bridges comparative politics, public policy, and methodology, with a focus on how states govern mobility, crisis, and diversity while upholding democratic accountability.

Some of his recent publications include:

The State and the Refugee. Governing Asylum at the intersection between Politics and Administration
Political Research Quarterly

Decision-making mistakes in asylum policy: A comparative study of public opinion
International Migration Review

Resettlement vs. Spontaneous Applications. Canadians’ Attitudes to Asylum Policy in a Comparative Perspective
Journal of Refugee Studies

Recognizing international protection. How institutional arrangements affect asylum decisions
Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

The trade-off between admitting and paying. An experimental analysis of people’s attitudes toward responsibility-sharing in refugee issues
European Union Politics

Asylum seekers in the machinery of the state: administrative capacity vs. preferences – recognition rates in EU member states
European Union Politics

EuroMigResearch

@piervanwoll.bsky.social

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