Sunday, March 16, 2014
Embassy (Omni Shoreham)
Labour immigration policy requires fundamental decisions on how to regulate: (1) the number of migrants to be admitted (e.g., through quotas or points-based systems); (2) the selection of migrants (e.g., by skill or nationality); and (3) the rights that migrants are granted after admission (e.g., temporary or permanent residence; access to welfare benefits; limited or unlimited rights to employment etc.). Ruhs (2013) analysed the relationships between these three policy variables across all high-income countries and identified inverse relationships (trade-offs) between openness to admitting migrant workers and some migrant rights. In other words, more open admission policies are associated with greater restrictions of migrant rights (especially but not only social rights), and vice versa. This paper builds on the research in Ruhs (2013) to provide a more detailed analysis of the variations and determinants of labour immigration policy regimes (including migrant rights restrictions) in Europe. What rights of migrant workers are most commonly restricted in European countries, and how, if at all, are these restrictions related to admission policies? Can we identify clear relationships between labour immigration policy regimes, different welfare states and regulations of labour markets? The paper will study these questions based on a unique dataset that measures the openness of admission policies and the legal rights of migrant workers in over 20 European countries.
Ruhs, M (2013) The Price of Rights: Regulating International Labor Migration, Princeton University Press www.priceofrights.com
