Endogenous and Exogenous Drivers of Refugee Policy of the Transit State: The Case of Indonesia

ABSTRACT

Most studies on transit states emphasise exogenous influences on domestic refugee policymaking, with little consideration of endogenous factors to the state itself. Exploring literature from migration studies, refugee studies and international law studies, we identify and classify nearly identical endogenous and exogenous drivers of refugee policy change across transit states worldwide. Drawing on a case study of Indonesia, an important transit state on the Southeast Asia route, we apply Walt and Gilson's Policy Triangle framework to analyse refugee policy documents from the 1950s to 2019. As in other transit states, we find that Indonesian policy was driven by the border externalisation of neighbouring destination states. In addition, the Indonesian case highlighted endogenous drivers of policymaking, with conflict and national values shaping policies, demonstrating the importance of national strategic interests. Our findings bring new evidence of transit state agency in refugee policy responses. Overall, we highlight the complexity of refugee governance in transit states, pointing to the need for further research into endogenous conflict and national identity as endogenous drivers of domestic policymaking.