TY - JOUR

T1 - Convergence, capitalist diversity, or political volatility?

T2 - Immigration policy in Western Europe

AU - Consterdine, Erica

AU - Hampshire, James

N1 - This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of European Public Policy on 14/10/2019, available online: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13501763.2019.1674364

PY - 2019/10/14

Y1 - 2019/10/14

N2 - Are immigration policies in European countries converging? Or do some countries remain more open to immigrants than others? We address these questions through an analysis of labour migration policies in five European countries from 1990 to 2016. Using an original immigration policy index (ImPol) to measure policy restrictiveness we examine whether policies have converged, to what extent immigration regimes reflect distinct ‘varieties of capitalism’, and whether national policy trajectories are shaped by domestic politics. We find little evidence of convergence; mixed evidence that immigration policy regimes reflect capitalist diversity; and strong evidence that policies respond to changes in domestic political conditions. Whilst ‘varieties of capitalism’ may set the broad parameters for immigration regimes, the direction and timing of policy changes are determined by domestic political competition.

AB - Are immigration policies in European countries converging? Or do some countries remain more open to immigrants than others? We address these questions through an analysis of labour migration policies in five European countries from 1990 to 2016. Using an original immigration policy index (ImPol) to measure policy restrictiveness we examine whether policies have converged, to what extent immigration regimes reflect distinct ‘varieties of capitalism’, and whether national policy trajectories are shaped by domestic politics. We find little evidence of convergence; mixed evidence that immigration policy regimes reflect capitalist diversity; and strong evidence that policies respond to changes in domestic political conditions. Whilst ‘varieties of capitalism’ may set the broad parameters for immigration regimes, the direction and timing of policy changes are determined by domestic political competition.

U2 - 10.1080/13501763.2019.1674364

DO - 10.1080/13501763.2019.1674364

M3 - Journal article

VL - 27

SP - 1487

EP - 1505

JO - Journal of European Public Policy

JF - Journal of European Public Policy

SN - 1350-1763

IS - 10

ER -