From the case-study of asylum in France, this paper reviews three theoretical perspectives in order to assess their respective heuristic properties. Three perspectives have attracted greater attention by the research community. As will be suggested, they differ in their interpretive focus and approach to how public policies construct vulnerable social groups operationally. One first perspective is centered on policy-framework. Another looks at models of regulation implemented by existing territorial action systems in promoting local partnerships. In the last perspective, the emphasis is on front-desk interactions between institutional agents and users.