The Exclusion of Immigrants from Welfare Programs: Cross-National Analysis and Contemporary Developments

In light of the increase in cross-border mobility and the recent political climate surrounding immigration-related issues, understanding the politics and policies of immigrants’ access to welfare programs is more relevant than ever. Systematic analysis of this subject has been held back, however, by the lack of a cross-national index of immigrant exclusion from social benefits over time. The Exclusion of Immigrants from Welfare Programs fills this gap by taking advantage of a novel and original measure called the Immigrant Exclusion from Social Programs Index (IESPI), which includes twenty-five indicators regarding immigrants’ access to seven different social programs, for twenty-two countries, at four moments in time. The book includes an assessment of key trends, an investigation of the origins and consequences of variation, and four detailed country case studies of particular theoretical interest: Norway, Austria, Portugal, and the United States. Presenting a cross-national index to facilitate and encourage systematic cross-country comparisons, this book provides insights and data that will allow researchers to probe such questions as the degree to which countries include or exclude immigrants in developing public policies, why some countries are more exclusionary than others, and what the future consequences of this exclusion might be.

Table of Contents:
Section 1: Setting the Stage 1.  Introduction Edward Anthony Koning Existing Literature and Theoretical Framework Organization of the Volume 2. The IESPI and Descriptive Findings Edward Anthony Koning Conceptualization and Purpose Methods of Data Collection Components of the IESPI Descriptive Findings Section 2: Quantitative Analyses 3. The Drivers of Exclusion Friederike Römer and Liv Bjerre Explanations of Variation in Immigrant Welfare Access Data Method and Results Conclusion and Discussion 4. Appeasement via Exclusion? Differential Access to Social Programs and Their Effects on Xenophobia, Racism, and Perceived Welfare Abuse Markus M.L. Crepaz Overview: Social Programs and Their Effect on Crafting National Identities Trading off Universal Protection in a Closed Immigration System with Selective Protection in an Open Immigration System? The Relevance of Political Discourse on Welfare Access Research Design and Variables Hypotheses Results Conclusions and Implications 5. Closing the Gaps: The Positive Effects of Welfare Inclusion on Immigrants’ Labor Market Integration Anil Duman, Martin Kahanec, and Lucia Mýtna Kureková Literature Review Hypotheses Data and Methodology Results Conclusions 6. It Ain’t about the Money: A Cross-Country Study on Fiscal Implications of Immigrant Exclusion Tsewang Rigzin and Neeraj Kaushal Literature Review Data Descriptive Results Multivariate Analysis Conclusions and Discussions Section 3: Case Studies 7. Between Equality and Exclusion: Migrant Integration into Austria’s Bismarckian Welfare System Oliver Gruber The Evolution of the Austrian Welfare State and the Role of Immigration Welfare System Reform and Migrant Integration in Austria since the 1990s Public Opinion and Outcomes Conclusion: Differential Integration and Persistent Reluctance in a Constrained Scope of Action 8. Inclusion under Pressure, The Case of Norway Grete Brochmann The Historical Legacy Why Choosing the Inclusive Avenue? The Norwegian Integration Approach Successful Inclusion? The Problem and the Solution Attitudes in the Majority Population Inclusiveness under Strain: Concluding Remarks 9. From Exclusion to More Exclusion: Immigration and Social Welfare Access in the United States Jason E. Kehrberg, Adam M. Butz, and Mikhala L. West The American Context Immigration and Development of the US Welfare State Increasing American Exclusion with IEWRs: The Personal Responsibility Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 Impact of PRWORA on Non-citizen Caseloads across Four US Social Programs Congressional Gridlock, Sub-national Actors, and Executive Action: 2000 to 2020 A Patchwork of Immigration Policies: American Federalism Diverging Immigration Attitudes Immigration Levels in a Period of Congressional Gridlock and Sub-federal Activity Two Sides of the Same Coin: Obama and Trump Executive Action Conclusion: The Future of Immigration and Welfare Exclusion in the US 10. Why Choose the Inclusionary Path? Social Policy in a Recent Welfare and Immigration Country: The Case of Portugal Catarina Reis Oliveira and João Peixoto Creating the Inclusionary Portuguese Welfare State Portugal’s Migratory Experience and Immigrants’ Characteristics The Developments and Achievements of Immigrant Integration Policies over Time Immigrants’ Inclusion Outcomes: Achievements and Challenges Immigration Endorsement in Portugal Conclusions Section 4: Concluding Reflections 11. Welfare and Immigration: Factoring-in the Neoliberal Order Christian Joppke 12. Philosophies of Inclusion and Exclusion Will Kymlicka 13. Conclusions: Is an Inclusive Multicultural Welfare State a Feasible Project? Keith G. Banting Inclusion and Exclusion: The Trajectory The Drivers of Inclusion/Exclusion Consequences of Inclusion/Exclusion The Overall Patterns Concluding Reflections: The Feasibility of an Inclusive Multicultural Welfare State Appendix: Detailed Country Descriptions Bibliography

About the Author :
Edward A. Koning is an associate professor of political science at the University of Guelph.