Migration policies are shaped by multiple actors, including politicians, business sectors, civil society and the courts. Literature has to date elucidated the role and agency of each of these actors in order to theorize the policy-making process and its interplay with the lives of migrants. Nevertheless, the institutional functions of government officials, namely bureaucrats, have been significantly understudied, although they are the primary decision-makers in framing and implementing regulations. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research conducted in Japan, this article sheds light on the organizational culture of administrative elites in designing migration policies. The findings show that human resource practices and organizational positions predicate risk averse behaviour, consequently limiting the development of innovative policies. The paper finally argues that a paradigm shift in migration policy-making is required in tackling the communal challenges of wealthy states.

中文翻译：

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超越基层官僚机构：移民决策和行政精英的组织文化

移民政策由多个参与者共同制定，包括政治家、商界、民间社会和法院。迄今为止，文献已经阐明了这些行为者中的每一个的作用和机构，以便将决策过程及其与移民生活的相互作用理论化。然而，政府官员（即官僚）的机构职能却被严重忽视，尽管他们是制定和实施法规的主要决策者。本文借鉴在日本进行的深入定性研究，阐明了行政精英在设计移民政策时的组织文化。研究结果表明，人力资源实践和组织职位预示着风险规避行为，从而限制了创新政策的发展。