How Unpopular Policies are Made: Examples from South Africa, Singapore and Bangladesh

In this article we contribute to the emerging knowledge on migration policy-making in two ways. Firstly, we address the relative lack of research on the gendered nature of migration policy-making. Secondly we contribute to understanding migration policymaking in postcolonial contexts. Based on case studies from Bangladesh, South Africa, and Singapore, we trace the drivers of policy change in these contexts and how the gendered vulnerability of the intended beneficiaries impacted the policy process. We found that there were four main drivers of migration policy-making in each of the countries. They were: the role-players in the policy change process, the debates that shaped the policy change, the research involved, and the political context in which the policy change took place. While our research drew on existing policy frameworks, it also showed that policy development is shaped by complex socio-political conditions.