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The global evolution of travel visa regimes

The global evolution of travel visa regimes
The global evolution of travel visa regimes
Drawing on the new DEMIG VISA database which covers global bilateral travel regulations from 1973 to 2013, this paper explores patterns and trends in international travel visa regimes. The analysis challenge the idea of a growing global mobility divide between ‘North’ and ‘South’, yielding a more complex image reflecting the multi-polar and multi-layered nature of international relations. While predominantly European and North American OECD countries have maintained relatively high levels of entry visa restrictiveness for Africa and Asia, the latter regions have the highest levels of entry restrictions themselves. While citizens of wealthy (mainly OECD) countries generally enjoy greatest visa-free travel opportunities, this primarily reflects their freedom to travel to other OECD countries. Visa-free travel is mostly realised between geographically proximate countries of integrated regional blocs such as ECOWAS, the EU, GCC and MERCOSUR. Analyses of global dynamics in visa reciprocity show that 21 per cent of the country dyads have asymmetrical visa rules, but also show that levels of reciprocity have increased since the mid-1990s. Our analysis shows that visas are not ‘just’ instruments regulating entry of visitors and exit of citizens, but are manifestations of broader political economic trends and inequalities in international power relations.
0098-7921
589-622
Czaika, Mathias
2e99b4b9-0bc8-4665-b5a1-431cbd6f9b3f
de Haas, Hein
1d94419d-f0ca-48b9-8cc0-89ad5ca74a27
Villares-Varela, Maria
5e63e77d-525f-4196-8be8-e8c7db56eae1
Czaika, Mathias
2e99b4b9-0bc8-4665-b5a1-431cbd6f9b3f
de Haas, Hein
1d94419d-f0ca-48b9-8cc0-89ad5ca74a27
Villares-Varela, Maria
5e63e77d-525f-4196-8be8-e8c7db56eae1

Czaika, Mathias, de Haas, Hein and Villares-Varela, Maria (2018) The global evolution of travel visa regimes. Population and Development Review, 44 (3), 589-622. (doi:10.1111/padr.12166).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Drawing on the new DEMIG VISA database which covers global bilateral travel regulations from 1973 to 2013, this paper explores patterns and trends in international travel visa regimes. The analysis challenge the idea of a growing global mobility divide between ‘North’ and ‘South’, yielding a more complex image reflecting the multi-polar and multi-layered nature of international relations. While predominantly European and North American OECD countries have maintained relatively high levels of entry visa restrictiveness for Africa and Asia, the latter regions have the highest levels of entry restrictions themselves. While citizens of wealthy (mainly OECD) countries generally enjoy greatest visa-free travel opportunities, this primarily reflects their freedom to travel to other OECD countries. Visa-free travel is mostly realised between geographically proximate countries of integrated regional blocs such as ECOWAS, the EU, GCC and MERCOSUR. Analyses of global dynamics in visa reciprocity show that 21 per cent of the country dyads have asymmetrical visa rules, but also show that levels of reciprocity have increased since the mid-1990s. Our analysis shows that visas are not ‘just’ instruments regulating entry of visitors and exit of citizens, but are manifestations of broader political economic trends and inequalities in international power relations.

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Accepted/In Press date: 27 February 2018
e-pub ahead of print date: 23 August 2018
Published date: 28 September 2018

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 418313
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/418313
ISSN: 0098-7921
PURE UUID: f83763d0-eb30-42d9-a675-db1d02fa53f6
ORCID for Maria Villares-Varela: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-0137-7104

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Date deposited: 28 Feb 2018 17:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 06:17

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Author: Mathias Czaika
Author: Hein de Haas

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