Alexander Betts
University Lecturer in Refugee Studies and Forced Migration
Bio
Dr Alexander Betts is University Lecturer (Associate Professor) in Refugee Studies and Forced Migration and a Fellow of Green-Templeton College at the University of Oxford, where he was previously the Hedley Bull Research Fellow in International Relations. He received his MPhil (in Development Studies, with Distinction) and DPhil (in International Relations) from the University of Oxford.
His research focuses on the international politics of asylum and migration, with a geographical focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. He is author or editor of numerous books, including Protection by Persuasion: International Cooperation in the Refugee Regime (Cornell University Press, 2009), Global Migration Governance (Oxford University Press, 2011), Refugees in International Relations (with Gil Loescher, Oxford University Press, 2011).
Dr Betts is author of over 50 articles, book chapters and working papers and his work has appeared in a range of peer reviewed journals including Global Governance, Perspectives on Politics, Journal of Refugee Studies, International Journal of Refugee Law, and Refugee Survey Quarterly.
He has worked for UNHCR and as a consultant to the Council of Europe, IOM, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, and his work has been funded by, amongst others, the MacArthur Foundation, the Leverhulme Trust, and the Economic and Social Research Council. He has also served on the Executive Committee of the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM) and has held teaching and research positions at Universite Libre de Bruxelles and Stanford University.
Publications
Books
Betts, A (2012) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: Autonomy and Mandate Change. In: Oestreich, J (ed.). International Organizations as Self-Directed Actors: A Framework for Analysis (Routledge) April 2012
Betts, A (2011) The International Refugee Regime and Issue Linkage. In: Koslowski, R (ed.). Global Mobility Regimes (Palgrave Macmillan) November 2011
Betts, A, Loescher, G and Milner, J (2011), UNHCR: The Politics and Practice of Refugee Protection (Routledge) Second Edition, December 2011.
Betts, A (2011) (ed), Global Migration Governance (Oxford University Press).
Betts, A and Loescher, G (2010) (eds), Refugees in International Relations (with Gil Loescher, Oxford University Press).
Betts, A (2009), Protection by Persuasion: International Cooperation in the Refugee Regime (Cornell University Press).
Betts, A (2009), Forced Migration and Global Politics (Wiley-Blackwell).
Loescher, G, Betts, A, and Milner, J (2008), UNHCR: The Politics and Practice of Refugee Protection into the Twenty First Century (Routledge).
Forthcoming Books
Betts, A (2012), Survival Migration: Old Institutions, New Challenges (under contract, Cornell University Press).
Betts, A and Orchard, P (eds) (2012), Implementation in World Politics: How Norms Change Practice(under review, Oxford University Press).
Articles
Betts, A, ’Global Migration Governance: The Case of EU-African Relations‘, International Migration Review (subject to revisions).
Betts, A, ’Regime Stretching: How Old International Institutions Adapt to New Challenges‘,International Studies Quarterly (subject to revisions).
Betts, A, Loescher, G, and Milner, J (2011), ’Life Begins at 60: A Vision for the Future of UNHCR‘,Journal of Refugee Studies (forthcoming, September).
Betts, A (2010), ’Soft Law and Vulnerable Irregular Migrants‘, Georgetown Journal of Immigration Law, Vol. 24:4.
Betts, A (2010), ’Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework‘, Global Governance, Vol. 16:3, pp. 361-382.
Betts, A (2010), ’The Refugee Regime Complex‘, Refugee Survey Quarterly, Vol. 29:2, pp. 12-37.
Betts, A (2010), ’Towards a Soft Law Framework for the Protection of Vulnerable Irregular Migrants‘,International Journal of Refugee Law, Volume 22.2. pp. 209-236.
Betts, A (2009), 'Institutional Proliferation and the Refugee Regime', Perspectives on Politics, March, Vol. 7.1, pp. 53-58.
Betts, A (2008), ’North-South Cooperation in the Refugee Regime: The Role of Linkages‘, Global Governance, April-June, Vol.14:2, pp. 157–178.
Betts, A and Durieux J-F (2007), ’Convention Plus as a Norm-Setting Exercise‘ (With Jean-Francois Durieux), Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 20:3.
Betts, A (2006), ’Towards a Mediterranean Solution: Implications for the Region of Origin‘,International Journal of Refugee Law, Vol.18:3, pp. 652-676.
Betts, A (2006), ’What Does “Efficiency” Mean in the Context of the Global Refugee Regime?‘, British Journal of Politics and International Relations, Vol. 8:2, pp. 148-173.
Betts, A (2005), ’Should Approaches To Post-Conflict Justice and Reconciliation Be Determined Globally, Nationally or Locally?‘, European Journal of Development Research, Vol. 7:4, pp. 735-752.
Betts, A (2004), ’The International Relations of the “New” Extra-Territorial Approaches to Refugee Protection‘, Refuge, Vol. 22:1, pp. 58-70.
Betts, A (2003), ’Public Goods Theory and the Provision of Refugee Protection: of the Joint-Product Model in Burden-Sharing Theory‘, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 16:3, pp. 274-296.
Book Chapters
Betts, A (2012), ’UNHCR, Autonomy and Mandate Change‘, in Oestreich, J (ed), International Organizations as Self-Directed Actors (Routledge), forthcoming.
Betts, A (2011), ’The Refugee Regime and Issue-Linkage‘, in Koslowski, R (ed) Global Mobility Regimes (Palgrave MacMillan), forthcoming.
Betts, A (2011), ’The Implications of Global Migration Governance for UNHCR‘, in Koser, K and Martin, S (eds), The Migration-Displacement Nexus (Berghahn Books), forthcoming, Chapter 14.
Betts, A (2011), ’Global Migration Governance‘ in Betts, A (ed), Global Migration Governance (Oxford University Press), Chapter 1.
Betts, A and Cerna, L (2011), ’The Global Governance of High-Skilled Labour Migration‘ in Betts, A (ed), Global Migration Governance (Oxford University Press), Chapter 3.
Betts, A (2011), ’Global Governance of Migration and the Role of Trans-regionalism‘ in Kunz, R, Lavenex, S and Panizzon, M (eds), Multilayered Migration Governance: Unveiling The Promise(Routledge), Chapter 1.
Betts, A (2010), ’International Cooperation in the Refugee Regime‘, in Betts, A and Loescher, G (eds),Refugees in International Relations (Oxford University Press), Chapter 3.
Betts, A and Loescher, G (2010), ’Refugees in International Relations‘ in Betts, A and Loescher, G (eds), Refugees in International Relations (Oxford University Press), Chapter 1.
Betts, A (2010), ’Substantive Issue-linkage and the International Politics of Migration‘ in Bjola, C and Kornprobst, M (eds), Arguing About Global Governance (Routledge), pp. 85-100.
Betts, A (2008), ’Historical Lessons for Overcoming Protracted Refugee Situations‘ in Loescher, G et al (eds), The Politics, Human Rights, and Security Implications of Protracted Refugee Solutions, Chapter 9, (United Nations University Press), pp. 162-186.
Betts, A (2006), ’Rethinking Durable Solutions‘, in Merheb, N (ed), The State of the World‘s Refugees,(Oxford University Press), Chapter 6, pp.128-144.
Selected Working Papers
Betts, A (2010), ’Migration Governance: Alternative Futures‘, Background Paper for IOM‘s World Migration Report, (IOM: Geneva).
Betts, A and Kaytaz, E (2009), ’National and International Responses to the Zimbabwean Exodus: Implications for the Refugee Protection Regime‘, New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper, (UNHCR: Geneva).
Betts, A (2009), ’Refugees and Development Assistance: Towards a North-South Grand Bargain‘, Refugee Studies Centre Policy Brief No. 2 (RSC: Oxford).
Betts, A (2008), ’Towards a Soft Law Framework for the Protection of Vulnerable Migrants‘, New Issues in Refugee Research,Working Paper No. 162, (UNHCR: Geneva).
Betts, A and Milner, J (2006), ’The Externalisation of EU Asylum Policy: The Position of African States‘, COMPAS Working Paper,WP-06-35 (COMPAS: Oxford).
Betts, A (2006), ’Comprehensive Plans of Action: Insights from CIREFCA and the Indochinese CPA‘, New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper no. 120, (UNHCR: Geneva).
Betts, A (2005), ’International Cooperation Between North and South to Enhance Refugee Protection in Regions of Origin‘, Refugee Studies Centre Working Paper No. 25, (RSC: Oxford).
Betts, A (2004), ’International Cooperation and Targeting Development Assistance for Refugee Solutions: Lessons From the 1980s‘,New Issues in Refugee Research, Working Paper No.107, (UNHCR: Geneva).
Minor Publications
Betts, A (2011), ’The International Politics of Migration‘, St Antony‘s International Review, Vol. 6:2, pp. 134-150.
Betts, A (2010), ’Forced Migration Studies: “Who Are We and Where Are We Going”?‘, Conference Report for IASFM 13, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 23:2.
Betts, A (2007), ’Book Review: Human Rights and Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant Workers edited by Anne Bayefsky‘, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 20:1, pp. 149-151.
Betts, A (2006), ’The Politics, Human Rights and Security Implications of Protracted Refugee Situations‘, Conference Report, Journal of Refugee Studies, Vol. 19:4, pp. 509-514.
Betts, A (2005), ’Book Review: The Ethics and Politics of Asylum by Matthew Gibney‘, Journal of Refugee Studies, 18:4, pp. 492-494.
Betts, A, Eagleton-Pierce, M and Roemer-Mahler, A (2006), ’The International Politics of Oil‘, Editorial Introduction, St Antony‘s International Review, Vol. 2:1.
Betts, A and Eagleton-Pierce, M (2005), ’Human Security‘, St Antony‘s International Review, Vol. 1:2.
Betts, A and Eagleton-Pierce, M (2005), ’The Future of International Cooperation‘, St Antony‘s International Review, Vol. 1:1.
