This paper presents the qualitative content analysis of claims in mainstream media made around crises related to immigration at specific borderscapes of the European Union located in two Southern European Member States, namely Italy and Spain. The two selected border crisis cases are the tragic shipwreck of Lampedusa, which occurred on the 3rd of October […]
This article examines the interplays between outward and inward migration and the emergence of resentment in two cities in the Italian region of Lombardy. Drawing on the concept of ‘resentful affectivities’, we conducted 43 ethnographically-informed interviews with shopkeepers in Pavia and Mantova. Through the emotional lenses of discontent, distrust, and nostalgia, we trace how resentful […]
Assaults on immigrants’ civil liberties have been on the rise across Western countries. This study asks whether majority-group natives exhibit less political tolerance (i.e., support for restrictions on civil rights and liberties) toward immigrants who criticize the government compared to citizens, adding thereby a neglected element to the discussion on the conflicted nexus between migration […]
This article explores whether representatives from minority groups feel under pressure to represent the group they are associated with. We use a representative survey experiment in South Africa (N = 1,252), combined with semi-structured interviews with elected representatives (N = 25). In the survey, there are clear expectations in the population that groups should be represented by a member […]
Experimental research in many countries shows that ethnic or racial minorities are discriminated against in rental housing markets. Such discrimination may reflect an aversion to minority tenants, but can also be due to the use of stereotypical images of minorities in the absence of clear signals that minority apartment seekers are suitable tenants. Existing experimental […]
In regulating immigration, governments in Western democracies face a ‘liberal paradox’: they must balance economic and judicial pressures to admit and protect migrants with domestic political demands for restriction. A key strategy to navigate this tension is the ‘market model’ of migration policy, which emphasizes temporariness and limited rights. While commonly associated with low-skilled migration, […]
Many citizens in liberal democracies are concerned about immigration and its impact on their countries. Governments often seek to address these concerns by restricting the post-entry rights of immigrants such as the right to permanent settlement or access to welfare benefits. Thereby, it is expected that immigrants with an inferior legal status are (perceived as) […]
This paper addresses how and why emigration has become politicised within the European Commission through an analytical method of framing analysis and a historical institutionalist theoretical framework. It is based on emigration-related documents produced by the Commission and interviews with officials. Descriptive findings show that: 1) emigration is salient within the Commission, involving an increasing […]
Integration has become a dominant framework in the governance of immigration, indicating what states and ‘host societies’ expect immigrants to do and how to behave to become accepted members of the receiving country. Critical scholarship has argued that this creates an unequal normative burden: ‘immigrants’ are subject to integration demands, while ‘native citizens’ are exempt. […]
Migration is a central topic in the populist radical right (PRR) discourse, usually perceived within the frames of the politicization of immigration in Europe. Departing from the centrality of distrust in such discourse, we advance the argument that PRR parties strategically use nostalgic narratives to make assertions on both inward and outward migration as an […]
In this paper, we analyze the framing of migration and migrants, reflecting on the relevance of specific disruptive episodes in the border context of Ceuta and Melilla, which divides Spain (and Europe) and Morocco (and Africa). We conduct framing analysis quantitively and qualitatively, developing a specific mixed-method approach which allows us to show how specific […]
Immigrant integration governance in Europe increasingly requires migranticized subjects to respect constitutional values. This paper examines the knowledge production on integration by street-level bureaucrats in Switzerland, combining a moral economies approach with a governmentality perspective. The empirical analysis builds on problem-centred interviews and participant observations of public authorities and caseworkers in the fields of immigration […]
Can liberal democracies require shared values? The paper analyses the integration requirement to respect constitutional values in Switzerland. First, it scrutinizes illiberal bureaucratic practices of culturalization and state access to inner convictions. Second, it discusses whether the adoption of constitutional values can be required of non-citizens only. Finally, it examines whether shared values can be […]
Largely unnoticed by the migration literature, business migration has established itself as a form of labour migration that is substantial in terms of numbers and receives preferential treatment in international and national migration law. Intra-corporate transferees, contractual service suppliers and business visitors all fall within this category and benefit from facilitated admission procedures agreed under […]
We contribute to research on populist and radical right-wing politics by studying how, and under which conditions, subconscious or “implicit” racial attitudes influence populist right-wing support. Specifically, we study the effect of implicit bias against persons with darker skin tones on voting for right-wing populist parties, and how this effect differs depending on macro-level conditions […]
Research on the welfare stances of populist radical-right parties (PRRPs) categorises them as ‘welfare chauvinists’ and ‘producerists’, supporting generous benefits exclusively for ‘hard-working’ nationals. However, it remains unclear whether their voters’ welfare preferences align with these positions. The argument advanced in this paper is that a comprehensive understanding of PRRP voters’ welfare preferences requires the […]
Abstract In recent decades, as growing numbers of noncitizen residents remain excluded from the electorate, the question of who should be included in the electorate has gained prominence in both political and academic debates. Drawing on theories of integration and immigrant attitudes, I explore whether Swiss voters would consider integration criteria as prerequisites for enfranchisement […]
Abstract Immigration is often portrayed negatively in the news, yet previous research remains inconclusive about how the valence of immigration news in national coverage relates to individual immigration policy preferences. Furthermore, the psychological mechanisms underlying this relationship are not well understood. This study examined whether, in national contexts where immigration news has a more negative […]
The article analyses the legal frameworks adopted by the EU Member States and Switzerland in response to the mass influx of displaced persons from Ukraine, i.e., temporary protection and protection status S. It compares and discusses different rights, such as access to the labour market, social welfare, mobility and integration measures, and highlights how European […]
By focusing on the small state of Luxembourg, this article contributes to the production of knowledge on non-iconic places of refuge. It aims to advance the conceptualization of unusualness in refugee reception. Our research is based on interviews and observations in eleven reception facilities. The conceptual framework combines small state studies with the literature on […]
Macro-Level Climate and Minority Voice: How Indigenous Multiculturalism Relates to Collective Action
Inequalities and discrimination against Indigenous minorities are pervasive in post-colonial societies. Collective action is critical for Indigenous minorities to redress these injustices. Integrating research on collective action, macro-level norms and multiculturalism, we argue that macro-level climates characterized by non-Indigenous endorsement of Indigenous multiculturalism policies are likely associated with Indigenous minorities’ collective action. Two multilevel studies […]
Every year, several hundred children are deprived of their liberty in the Polish guarded centres for foreigners. Meanwhile, international organizations are increasingly arguing that the immigration detention of minors should be prohibited due to its harmful impact on the health and development of the child. Taking into account these calls, the European Court of Human […]
The main theories explaining electoral backlash against immigration focus on citizens’ cultural, economic, and security concerns. We test these predictions in Switzerland, which opened its labor market to neighboring countries in the 2000s. Employing a difference-in-differences design, we document a substantial rise in immigrant workers in Swiss border municipalities after the border opened. This was […]
This paper presents a comparative analysis of the factors motivating transnational mobility in four categories of older adults. Qualitative data collected in 2020 and 2021 in Spain and Switzerland reveal three main reasons: climate, financial considerations, and feelings of attachment. Furthermore, the findings emphasise the importance of life course events in shaping transnational mobilities in […]
This article explores the ways in which narratives of deservingness in the field of sexual asylum become crucial elements of national border drawing and boundary work, and important instruments of a politics of belonging. Switzerland is a particularly interesting case study in which to explore these issues due to the supposed humanitarian tradition on the […]
Inclusive school climates have been related to more friendly and equal intergroup relations among majority and ethnic minority youth. Yet, comprehensive research distinguishing majority and ethnic minority group perspectives on both social and institutional inclusion, and looking beyond individual perceptions of inclusion is missing. Taking a multi-group and multi-level approach, we assessed the actual social […]
Banishment concludes the keyword discussion by arguing that we can understand the exclusionary practices of welfare states as a politics of destitution, which ultimately leads to the banishment of unwanted individuals. It argues that banishment can be helpful as a conceptual lens through which to understand the purposeful strategies that render individuals deportable, whether citizens […]
