A Priority View of Constructive Refoulement: Addressing host State hostility towards Asylum Seekers and Refugees

My thesis reexamines the role of State intent within existing understandings of ‘constructive refoulement’. It seeks to explore and better understand how policies that do not intend to compel asylum seekers and refugees to leave on paper, but have the effect of doing so, should be treated when it comes to constructive refoulement. Drawing on prioritarianism, this work advocates for a new understanding of constructive refoulement, where the consequences, rather than the intentions, of host State policies on the worst-off are of primary concern. 

My research interests span international refugee law, international human rights law, and international humanitarian law. I am particularly interested in conducting research that advocates for a global refugee regime built on human rights protections, as opposed to deterrence. I am also interested in researching human rights abuses and mass atrocities, with a particular focus on addressing impunity.

Lancaster University, LLM International Law 

Lancaster University, BA (Hons) Politics