The role of the quality of the administration in asylum decision making. Comparing recognition rates in EU member states

Abstract: The question this article addresses is: why is there cross-country variation in asylum recognition rates in the EU while the member states are supposed to apply the same texts of reference? Studies have investigated various potential explanations, ranging from economics to politics, with however limited explanatory power. Surprisingly, only few studies have considered the characteristics of the administration despite it being at the centre of the process through which claims are examined. This article attempts to fill this gap. We posit that recognition rates are, at least in part, determined by the features of a given administration, which may in turn be mitigated by political factors. We find that a capable administration with significant experience in asylum questions displays higher refugee status recognition rates. We also show that government preferences and the overall political context likely affect refugee recognition rates, but that the effect is contrasted where administrative capacity is higher. Importantly, we also show that the mechanisms at play are different if we consider refugee status or other protection statuses.