Written in a lively and engaging style from the perspective of a leading immigration judge, this book examines how states resolve disputes with migrants. The chapters reflect on changes in the laws and rules of migration on an international and regional basis and the impact on the parties, administration, public and judiciary. The book is a critical assessment of how the migration tribunal system has evolved over the last century, the lessons which have been learnt and those which have not. It includes additional comparative contributions by authors on international jurisdictions and is a valuable overview of the evolution and future of the immigration tribunal system which will be of interest to those involved in human rights, migration, transnational and international law.

The year 2001 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. The Refugee Convention at Fifty is a commemorative volume, but it is one that points toward a future that will see a continued need for refugee protection. The volume performs a much-needed task for the current era: it carefully examines this key legal text, which impacts not only the law but also the politics and sociology of forced migration. Joanne van Selm and her coeditors have collected essays by scholars from a wide range of disciplines, NGO staff members, international organization professionals, and national-level policy makers who discuss the impact of this legal document on forced migrants, the states they migrate from and to, and the societies they join and leave behind. Sub-themes covered include the potential for solidarity between states in ensuring that legal and political commitments are upheld; regional approaches to refugee protection and displacement; and the human and social consequences of forced migration for those covered by, or excluded from, refugee protection. The geographic and disciplinary spread of the book is unparalleled, and The Refugee Convention at Fifty sets for the contentious and critical study of refugees the high standards for scholarship and innovative thinking that will serve as precedent for future policy making and implementation in the field.