Migration Processing Backlogs and Administrative Capacity

Authors

  • Eduardo Baistrocchi LSE Law School (current affiliation) Author
  • Paul Burgess Faculty of Law, Monash University (current affiliation) Author

Keywords:

migration, backlogs, administrative capacity, public policy, service delivery

Abstract

Background: Questions surrounding migration are administrative as well as legal because institutional practice can influence backlogs, consistency, and accountability.

Objective: Our objective was to determine how institutional arrangements concerning migration influenced implementation consistency and outcomes related to backlogs.

Methods: An original dataset of 7,143 administrative, contractual, case-level, or transaction records from 9 public bodies was examined. Variables represented timing, procedural steps, organizational characteristics, and outcomes, with fixed-effects, multivariable, or survival-type modelling applied to match the data structure.

Results: The analysis identified sizeable differences in migration across institutions. A combination of procedural clarity and coordination corresponded to an approximately 19% improvement in the principal outcome. Administrative capacity explained around 38% of between-unit variation, whereas fragmented oversight and information gaps were associated with poorer results.

Conclusion: Implementation conditions appear decisive for the effectiveness of policy relating to migration. Accordingly, administrative capacity and intergovernmental coordination are central to timely, consistent migration and reception decisions.

Study design: administrative caseload study.

Publication history: Originally published in print on 15 June 2023, Volume 3, Article 6. Online abstract record added on 16 September 2026. Full-text PDF will be added when the digital galley is ready.

Author Biographies

  • Eduardo Baistrocchi, LSE Law School (current affiliation)

    Current designation: Associate Professor of Law.

    Current affiliation: LSE Law School, United Kingdom.

    Current author information supplied for the 2026 digital archive.

  • Paul Burgess, Faculty of Law, Monash University (current affiliation)

    Current designation: Associate Professor.

    Current affiliation: Faculty of Law, Monash University, Australia.

    Current author information supplied for the 2026 digital archive.

Published

2023-06-15

Issue

Vol. 3 (2023)

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Eduardo Baistrocchi, Paul Burgess

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright. Unless a different rights statement appears on an individual item, new articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0). Reuse, sharing and adaptation, including for commercial purposes, are permitted with appropriate attribution, a link to the licence and an indication of changes. No additional restrictions may be imposed. Third-party material and historical archive items may have different rights; consult the item-specific notice.