CfP Migration and the European Welfare State: Mapping the (Violent) Encounters between Welfare and Mobility

Call for Papers for panels as part of section: Migration and the European Welfare State: Mapping the (Violent) Encounters between Welfare and Mobility) at EISA Conference 2017 (Barcelona, 13-16 September)

 1. ‘EU citizenship and free movement: beyond the progressive’s dilemma?’

The ‘progressive’s dilemma’ suggests a trade-off between substantive welfare and rights regimes and permissive immigration regimes, with the former leading to tougher immigration regimes and the latter leading to an erosion of social and welfare rights. This trade-off appears not to exist within the EU citizenship regime: EU citizens — as nationals of EU member states (or EEA states) — are able to move freely within a permissive regime while enjoying rights and protections comparable to nationals of the host state. In short, free movement and substantive rights (interpreted broadly as state social models) are exceptionally combined.  However, the exceptionality of EU citizenship can be challenged in a number of ways. First, the principle of non-discrimination between nationals and EU non-nationals is far from absolute; certain EU citizens — particularly those with limited links to the labour market — are unable to access rights in host member states and the recent interpretation of EU law by the European Court of Justice has arguably offered up greater opportunities for host states to discriminate between nationals and EU non-nationals. Second, EU citizenship, while distinct in some respects from inter-national regimes, may be similar to intra-national federal regimes (such as in the US) of multi-level citizenship where mobility and access to rights is possible, though delimited in some ways. Third, to the extent that EU citizenship does combine rights and mobility in an exceptional way it has become controversial and highly politicised within a number of EU member states in recent years (most notably of course, though not exceptionally, in the UK); for some, such politicisation and related attempts by states to delimit the rights of EU non-nationals is indicative of the enduring reality of the progressive’s dilemma.

We would welcome papers that consider any of the above or related themes.

Please submit abstracts of no more than 200 words to Owen Parker (o.parker@sheffield.ac.uk) by 31ST JANUARY 2017 (accepted paper givers will be notified by 3rd February).

2. Migration and the Social Conditions of the Welfare State

The so called “progressive’s dilemma” stipulates that there is a conflict between open migration policies and extensive redistribution through the welfare state. One aspect of this dilemma rests on the claim that citizens will not be willing to redistribute if they perceive recipients to be different from them. Ethnic and cultural difference is seen as a potential threat to the shared identity that the welfare state is premised on. Migration and asylum, as well as citizenship and integration, policy in Europe can in this way be seen to be driven by the premise that immigration undermines the social conditions of the welfare state. The result may be more closed borders, more restrictive citizenship policies and policies aimed at integrating or assimilating immigrants into a shared national identity. The normative and empirical relationship between on the one hand trust, solidarity and cohesion, and on the other hand, immigration, is consequently crucial to understanding the progressive’s dilemma. 

This panel invites papers on these and related themes.

Please send an abstract of no more than 200 words to Clara Sandelind (c.sandelind@sheffield.ac.uk) by January 31 2017 (accepted paper givers will be notified by 3rd February).