CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2025
| Author | Sultani, Masuma |
|---|---|
| Title | From Welcome to Restriction: The Evolution of Integration Policies in Austria (2010 - 2020) |
| Summary | This thesis examines the evolution of integration policy in Austria between 2010 and 2020, with a particular focus on the key drivers behind policy changes during this period. It adopts a qualitative approach, combining discourse and document analysis of key legal frameworks, political statements, and media coverage. An empirical case study by Josipovic and Reeger (2021) is also included to explore the lived experiences of refugees and assess the real-world impact of policy changes. By tracing legislative developments before and after the 2015 refugee influx, the thesis highlights how Austria’s multi-level governance structure, combined with electoral pressures, contributed to increasingly centralized and conditional integration measures. Political actors, particularly from the right-wing Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), played a central role in promoting securitized narratives that framed refugees as threats. These discourses were amplified by media outlets such as Kronen-zeitung, while Der Standard offered a more humanitarian perspective, although it became more politicized after 2015. Applying Securitization Theory and Discursive Institutionalism, the thesis shows that integration policies were shaped not only by institutional and public pressures but also by strategic political framing and media representation. |
| Supervisor | Kehanec, Martin |
| Department | Undergraduate Studies BA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2025/sultani_masuma.pdf |
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