This thesis aims to assess the impact of big data on burden-sharing in the European Union in the field of migration governance. Migration governance in the European Union is widely perceived as a...Show moreThis thesis aims to assess the impact of big data on burden-sharing in the European Union in the field of migration governance. Migration governance in the European Union is widely perceived as a collective action problem, as no effective burden-sharing has been established since the migration crisis of 2015. The current field of force is interpreted as a suasion game, where the strategy of non-affected states forces affected states to cooperate in burden-sharing, resulting in a de jure status quo. Having conducted interviews with European decision-makers as well as migration and big data experts, this thesis finds that big data can provide decision-makers with situational awareness, resulting in better organisational preparedness as well as enhanced matching and integration policies. However, political will is found to be an essential trigger for changing the suasion game, as big data on itself invokes no incentives for this political will. Consequently, decision-makers use big data so that it fits their strategy. When issue-linkage is established the suasion game can be changed. Big data however is then used instrumentally, potentially allowing for more voluntary reception of migrants. Nevertheless, the overall impact of big data is limited on the suasion game and Member States will not change their strategies. This thesis contributes to the recent academic debate on the use of big data in migration governance as well as to the academic debate on evidence-based decision-making.Show less
