"As one of the first English-language books on Russian migration policy, Why Control Immigration will make a significant and timely contribution to both migration studies in general, and to the Eurasian migration literature in particular…the combination of rich ethnographic data with a thorough document analysis [makes the book] a must-read for all those interested in understanding the key features of the Russian migration regime and its implications for the broader debates in migration studies"
Rustamjon Urinboyev, Lund University, Slavic Review, vol 78 no 2
"This is a path-breaking book. Grounded in meticulous empirical research in multiple Russian cities, Schenk examines the development of Russian migration policy as a 'multi-level balancing act' between various regional and institutional interests. Why Control Immigration? reveals how the widely-remarked, but comparatively understudied phenomenon of legal labor scarcity in Russia arises through particular policy initiatives and a complex balance of Moscow-federal relations."
Madeleine Reeves, Senior Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Manchester
"This book makes an important and timely contribution to the still scant English language literature on migration and migration policy in post-communist Russia. Thoroughly researched and ethnographically rich, the book shows how what appears as a contradictory and sub-optimal labor migration regime in the 21st century Russia results not from Russian state weakness or regime's authoritarianism. Instead, government actors at national and local levels purposefully create a scarcity of legal labor to reap benefit stemming from such a system. The book should be read not only by Russia specialists, but by all who what to understand how strict immigration controls can lead to increase in illegal immigration and dangerous populism."
Oxana Shevel, Department of Political Science, Tufts University
"In the last two decades, Russia has become an immigration magnet for other countries of the post-Soviet space. Caress Schenk offered us here the first in-depth analysis of the country's policy migration, capturing the complex reality that marks immigration control in Moscow and several other cities. A must-read for all those wanting to understand Russia's soft power in Eurasia and its future as a migration destination."
Marlene Laruelle, Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
