Between discipline and neglect: the regulation of asylum accommodation in Spain

Abstract

In 2019, Spain had the third highest number of asylum applications in the Europen Union, after Germany and France. The number of asylum applications grew from 31,120 in 2017 to 55,668 in 2018 and 118,264 in 2019. Following this exponential increase, the number of accommodation places in the state reception system has risen almost proportionally. In this changing context, this article seeks to explain the regulation of asylum accommodation in Spain. Following critical refugee studies in the Global North and the Global South, we argue that the Spanish asylum reception system is characterized by a hybrid model that imposes forms of discipline and neglect. By using a mixed-methods approach combining document analysis of secondary data, in-depth interviews with both stakeholders and asylum seekers, and an exploratory survey to 301 asylum seekers, we analyse the implications of this hybrid model in terms of asylum seekers trajectories and eventual inclusion.