Immigration and the Spanish Welfare Regime. From Boom to Gloom

Spain experience a spectacular immigration boom in the period leading up to the current economic crisis, when it turned from a once country of emigration to the EU's prime destination country immigrants for over a decade. During this period, the proportion of foreigners in the country grew to 12% of the population.  Immigration, of men and women, mostly from outside the EU,  provided plentiful, flexible and relatively cheap labour in sectors such as construction, agriculture and services.   Until recently, this large social transformation occurred without significant social tension or conflict. But the dramatic increase in unemployment, budget cuts and cuts in social services since 2009 has led to a growing politicization of immigration as parties have increasingly raised questions about the impact of immigration on the welfare state and its future sustainability.  This paper  explores the growing  salience of the immigration-welfare nexus in political debates, including national and regional elections, the politicization of the access of immigrants to welfare programs, and the recent trend to reduce social rights for certain categories of immigrants.