A Developmental Relational Analysis of Wicked Refugee Policy Problems

Abstract

Refugee crises present intractable policy problems at international, national and local levels. Refugee policy issues are misunderstood, misrepresented or inadequately processed and unresolved in the tensions of ambivalence to refugees and asylum-seekers. In this chapter, we examine whether refugee migration problems can be characterised as wicked societal problems that cannot be solved. On the basis of a schematised analysis of the structure and content of wicked refugee migration policy problems, we propose contemporary developmental science as an appropriate contributor to understanding and managing them. We demonstrate how core developmental concepts provide exceptional descriptions of wicked problems, add to wicked problem formulation, and warrant being a contributor to collaborative understanding and management of wicked refugee migration policy problems.