Reacting to Change within Change: Adaptive Leadership and the Peruvian Response to Venezuelan Immigration

Aron Said V.; Castillo Jara S. · International Migration (2022) · DOI: 10.1111/imig.12761

Resumen

Peru is the second most important destination country for Venezuelan emigration. The country’s policy response can be separated into two distinct phases: the first one, under former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (July 2016–March 2018), is characterized by relative openness; the second one, under incumbent president Martín Vizcarra (in office since March 2018), is characterized by policy closure and a shift towards securitization. In this paper, we apply the concept of adaptive leadership to explain the stark difference in the migration-related governance of both presidents. We find that the policy shift can be explained by an interplay between three factors: an internal political crisis due to conflict between the executive and legislative branches of government; the change in number and social profiles of Venezuelan migrants, with a tendency towards lower social, economic and educational statuses; and the rise in xenophobic attitudes among the Peruvian population.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Universidad del Pacífico