Livia Johannesson

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In courts we trust

How is administrative justice practiced by judicial workers at migration courts when processing asylum claims? That was the starting point for this PhD project about administrative justice in Swedish migration courts. Through interviews with judges, litigators and public counsels as well as observations of oral hearings with asylum applicants, this book discusses how administrative justice is understood and practiced at the Swedish migration courts. The book also analyzes the high expectations the policymakers had on the courts in the political process that led to the major reform of the Swedish asylum procedure in 2006. With an interpretive and ethnographic approach, Livia Johannesson explores how symbols of justice are intertwined with practices for assessing protection needs among asylum applicants. The results challenge theories in immigration policy research on the role of courts in immigration policies. Besides its relevance for immigration policy scholars, the detailed and practiceoriented description of judicial assessments of asylum claims makes the book interesting for those working in asylum procedure as well as for asylum seekers going through the process of applying for asylum in Sweden or in other Western countries. Stockholm Studies in Politics 171 This is a Doctoral Thesis in Political Science at Stockholm University, Sweden 2017