”Good refugees and bad refugees” A qualitative study on the approaches of the Polish authorities toward different refugee groups

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how the approaches of the Polish authorities differed towards the Ukrainian refugees in 2022 compared to the refugees in 2015. The purpose of the study is also to distinguish the factors that led to different treatment of the refugees. The questions to be answered are: How did the approaches of the Polish authorities toward the Ukrainian refugees in 2022 differ compared to the approaches toward the refugees in 2015? Which factors explain the different approaches of the Polish authorities to the Ukrainian refugees in 2022 and the refugees in 2015? The questions are answered through a qualitative method. An analysis of news articles are done. Ten articles were selected discussing the approaches toward the Ukrainian refugees in 2022 and six about the approaches toward the refugees in 2015. Furthermore, interviews with experts about the approaches of the Polish authorities, are conducted. Four interviews with experts from NGOs and research centers. The theoretical focus of the study are racialization and an intersectional perspective. The result shows that the approaches of the Polish authorities are more positive towards the Ukrainian refugees in 2022 in comparison to the refugees in 2015. The result is consistent with previous research.