Research
Cooperation Arrangements on Migration (CAMs) Dataset
The CAMs Dataset systematically codes agreements designed to manage and securitize migration through international cooperation. Covering over 300 negotiated agreements from 10 frontier states with more than 90 parters across five continents from 1990 to 2023, the dataset records key details such as dates, signatories, concessions, and implementation commitments. These agreements typically allocate funding, training, and technical assistance for border control, return operations, and law enforcement collaboration, often with limited emphasis on rights protection. CAMs agreements are distinct in framing migration as a security concern, often equating irregular migration to transnational crime and placing migration enforcement at the center of bilateral cooperation. They typically involve commitments of financial assistance, police or military training, intelligence sharing, or infrastructure support, frequently with limited attention to human rights protections.
By documenting the full universe of traceable bilateral migration-security bargains, CAMs expands the empirical foundations for studying the externalization of migration control and foreign policy co-optation. Its systematic coding enables researchers to analyze the frequency, mode, and selectivity of cooperation beyond migration pressure, revealing how states strategically deploy diplomacy, aid, and security ties to manage mobility. Notably, 67% of recorded CAMs are enacted with non-democratic partners and more than a third with closed autocracies.
Funding:
The data collection was supported by the University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) and the Institute for Humane Studies (IHS) under grant no. IHS018335.