Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 31st NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview Panel: Policy Planning and Coordination Author(s) Primoz Pevcin University of Ljubljana Ljubljana Slovenia Danila Rijavec, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration, Slovenia; Primož Pevcin, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Public Administration, Slovenia Title EUROPEAN MIGRATION CRISIS AS A CATALYST FOR GOVERNMENTAL TRANSFORMATION: THE CASE OF SLOVENIA File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Primoz Pevcin Abstract The European migration crisis, in particular with its peak in 2015/16, was one of the largest transnational challenges facing the EU and has created significant tensions in national governments. Slovenia was one of the transit countries on the Western Balkans route and was therefore under immense pressure from the influx of migrants in a very limited period of time and, above all, at an unprepared moment. It was found that there was a lack of a holistic strategy to address the migration crisis and that the early warning function was very weak, resulting in ad hoc reactions by actors and stakeholders. Following the stated observations, the paper proposal at hand aims to explore how and to what extent the European migration crisis has served as a catalyst for change in the Slovenian government. These observations and analyses are based on a multiple case study approach and the application of the findings to the theory of triple-loop learning. The phases of organisational learning offered us an insight into the maturity of the situation in Slovenia, which showed the presence of single-loop learning in the post-crisis phase. This means that standard procedures are used with limited adjustments to achieve the desired goals. The double- or triple- loop learning did not materialise. The research also provided us with a basis to map the main needs of the migration crisis and cluster them into the nine priority areas. The indicated priority areas are: (1) clear and coordinated migration crisis management, (2) strengthening early warning capabilities and needs assessment, (3) strengthening existing international organizations, (4) strengthening existing collaborative work and structures, (5) adaptable and effective relief logistics, (6) capacity building, (7) learning across borders, (8) building trust and resilience, and (9) clear and coordinated humanitarian support. These priority areas serve as a basis for the development of a strategic roadmap for a holistic governance structure. The main academic contribution of the paper is that it takes a comprehensive and interdisciplinary look at Slovenia's crisis management and applies it to the proposed theory. Limitations of the research relate to the isolation of the migration peak, to the focus on only one crisis and only at one national level, and to the parallel study of all levels of governance. The originality of the paper lies in its interdisciplinary approach of looking at the complexity of the crisis from a national perspective and on developing a simplified strategic roadmap for future potential crises.
