A new episode of The Migration Podcast explores a striking feature of European migration governance: information campaigns designed to discourage migration.
From billboards to radio spots, the message is often the same — “Do not come. It’s dangerous.” Yet despite repeated evaluations showing that such campaigns are rarely “effective,” European governments continue to invest in them. Why is that?
In this episode, Silindile Mlilo speaks with Cecilia Schenetti (Maastricht University) and Rossella Marino (Ghent University, CESSMIR) to unpack the power relations, contradictions, and competing agendas shaping these campaigns. The discussion highlights how migrants are not only represented as targets but sometimes engaged as messengers or co-creators, revealing the complex ways these initiatives reproduce and contest border regimes.
The episode offers a nuanced look at the tensions between control and care, policy and practice, and local and international actors in shaping Europe’s approach to migration.
You can listen to the episode here.