Where is the Policy in Refugee Studies? Enhancing the Role of Policy Studies in the Study of Refugee Policy

Refugee and forced migration studies have long drawn on a range of disciplinary insights, yet the field of policy studies remains under-utilised. This article explores the intersection between public policy and refugee studies, arguing that greater engagement with policy studies can enrich the analysis of refugee responses. While research on refugee policy has expanded in recent years, most of this scholarship does not employ established theoretical or analytical tools from policy studies. As a result, many studies overlook how broader policy processes – shaped by actors, interests, and institutions – affect the adoption, evolution, and implementation of refugee policies. To address this gap, we propose the use of the public policy cycle model for advancing research, teaching, and analysis within refugee studies. The model highlights distinct stages in the policy process, providing entry points for researchers to engage with how refugee policies are made, contested, and institutionalised. Importantly, the framework is applicable at both domestic and international levels, making it a valuable tool for analysing national refugee responses as well as developments in global refugee policy, which remains understudied. By integrating policy studies more systematically, the field of refugee studies can better explain how refugee policies emerge and evolve across different contexts.