Outsourcing and neoliberal bureaucratization: an analysis of the interface of distance in the reception of asylum seekers
By approaching outsourcing through an ethnographic lens, this article focuses on the neoliberal bureaucratization of the reception of asylum seekers in Switzerland. On the basis of data collected in two privately-run accommodation centers, it studies how this dynamic is reflected in the daily implementation of the reception policy. The analysis shows that public authorities and the field are de facto separated by an “interface of distance” composed mainly of three interdependent mechanisms: management by indicators, definition of standards and economic rationality. This paper questions the effects of subcontracting a sovereign task to the private sphere, not only in terms of the conception of public policy, but also in terms of accountability and opportunities for contestation. It shows that neoliberal bureaucratization is not only a technology of government that allows the state to redeploy itself, but also a consequence of its continuous redevelopment.