IMMIGRATION AND INTEGRATION POLICY IN EUROPE
This book analyzes contemporary changes in immigration and integration policy in the wake of populism and rise of right-wing parties across the world. It examines how, in the face of substantial migratory flows, rising security concerns regarding immigration, and a refugee crisis of unprecedented levels, member states of the European Union have responded by calling for restrictive immigration policies, border patrolling, and intensified integration programs. Focusing on Denmark and Sweden, the volume employs a unified theoretical framework to look at how internal political debates, institutional patterns, constitutional frameworks, and political competition are key to a systematic explanation of immigration and integration policy changes in Europe.
This volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of migration and diaspora studies, public policy, politics and international relations, sociology, and social anthropology, as well as government officials, think tanks, and policymakers.
Haider Abbas is Strategy Consultant at AMR International, UK. He is a columnist and regular commentator on policy issues at The Daily Times Pakistans major English daily. He received an A.B. in Public Policy and International Affairs from Princeton University, New Jersey, USA.
First published 2021
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2021 Haider Abbas
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ISBN: 978-0-367-33645-5 (hbk)
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TO MY FAMILY
This work has been a product of my thesis research at Princeton University. It is only fair for me to first and foremost thank my thesis adviser, Professor Stephen Macedo. Thank you for your guidance, patience, and encouragement throughout my Princeton career, and specifically during the period I was writing this thesis. From encouraging me and teaching me how to participate in my first ever precept to helping me accomplish the biggest academic project of my career I am indebted to you for all your support and advice.
Additionally, I would like to thank the professors and mentors who have motivated me, inspired me, and helped me grow as an individual. Thank you to my Task Force advisor, Doug Mercado, for exposing me to the real-world implications of policymaking. To my Dean of Academic Studies, Dr. Matthew Lazen, for having faith in me and reassuring me during some of my tougher times at Princeton. To my high school Principal, Sir Fakir Aijazuddin, for not only recognizing my potential as a 12-year-old kid and fostering my talent but, more importantly, for being my fan and friend throughout. Lastly, to the Woodrow Wilson School for its generous funding that gave me the opportunity to conduct summer research.
I wish to also thank Professor Heidi Vad Jnsson and Professor Klaus Petersen at the University of Southern Denmark and Professor Christoffer Green-Pedersen at Aarhus University for taking the time to speak with me about immigration and integration policy in Denmark and Sweden. Their valuable input added academic robustness to this work and helped me gain a better understanding of the issue.
And last but not least, I would like to thank my family and friends for their friendship, sincerity, and love. I could not have done this without your support!
Immigration and integration policy has become central to the politics of many advanced democracies. In the face of substantial migratory flows, rising security concerns regarding immigration, and a refugee crisis of unprecedented levels, member states of the European Union (EU) have responded by calling for restrictive immigration policies, border patrolling, and intensified integration programs. In this context, this book seeks to make sense of these contemporary changes in immigration and integration policy while keeping in mind historical influences.
This book analyzes differences in immigration and integration policy in Denmark and Sweden. It chooses Denmark and Sweden because they are a decent approximation of the most-similar cases research design. To examine the differences, it identifies three major explanations in the literature: (1) national model path-dependency, (2) the role of the political debate, and (3) structure of party competition. While in the literature each factor is used independently to explain policy differences, this book takes an integrative approach and seeks to clarify the relationships among these variables. It then combines these three variables into a unified theory and argues that this has far greater explanatory power.
The findings of this book demonstrate that historical events set into motion institutional patterns that structure and constrain future immigration and integration policy choices. The political tone of the debate complements these institutional patterns by establishing the political context and framing the immigration and integration policy issue in a distinct way. While the first two variables set the context for policy choice, the structure of party competition is crucial to how decisions are actually made.
Categorizing immigration and integration policy differences in Denmark and Sweden based on these explanations allows us to apply the unified theory to these countries. The analysis reveals that the first two factors defined the Swedish context. First, the institutional pattern in Sweden since World War II has been strongly multicultural. Second, the tone of debate in Sweden has been dominated by welfare universalism and equal access to rights for immigrants. These factors were met with the third factor, a favorable structure of party competition, in which the mainstream right-wing parties isolated the far-right parties. In Denmark, on the other hand, World War II led to an assimilatory institutional trend. The tone of the debate was branded by calls to reduce immigration problems and initiate restrictive immigration and integration policies. These two variables met with the third variable, the structure of party competition, conditions in which encouraged a coalition between mainstream right-wing parties and far-right parties. These results systematically explain policy differences in Denmark and Sweden, establish the dynamics of the unified theoretical framework, and allow us to use it and its variations as a tool of analysis to understand immigration and integration policy across other countries.
