The Politics of Citizenship in Europe

In this book, Marc Morjé Howard addresses immigrant integration, exploring the far-reaching implications of one of the most critical challenges facing Europe.

Marc Morjé Howard (Author)

9780521691277, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 7 September 2009

258 pages, 12 b/w illus. 9 tables
23.4 x 15.6 x 1.4 cm, 0.39 kg

'… demonstrates the extensive implications of the growing and potentially volatile issue of citizenship policies and immigrant integration. This empirical study of citizenship policy enables a comparative as well as quantitative analysis of citizenship policies across the European countries … represents a valuable resource for other scholars researching this emerging issue, as well as for policy analysts and policy makers coming from the countries that are subject to analysis and from other countries.' CEU Political Science Journal

In this book, Howard addresses immigrant integration, one of the most critical challenges facing European countries, the resolution of which will in large part depend on how foreigners can become citizens. Howard's research shows that despite remarkable convergence in their economic, judicial, and social policies, the countries of the European Union still maintain very different definitions of citizenship. Based on an innovative measure of national citizenship policies, the book accounts for both historical variation and contemporary change. Howard's historical explanation highlights the legacies of colonialism and early democratization, which unintentionally created relatively inclusive citizenship regimes. Howard's argument focuses on the politics of citizenship, showing in particular how anti-immigrant public opinion - when activated politically, usually by far right movements or public referenda - can block the liberalizing tendencies of political elites. Overall, the book shows the far-reaching implications of this growing and volatile issue.

Introduction
Part I. Argument: 1. Citizenship in cross-national perspective: an empirical baseline in the EU-15
2. Historical variation and legacies: the impact of colonialism and early democratization
3. Continuity and change in the contemporary period: the impact of public mobilization
Part II. Cases: 4. Liberalizing change: Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Portugal
5. Restrictive continuity: Austria, Denmark, Italy, Spain, and Greece
6. Partial liberalization with a restrictive backlash: Germany
7. Citizenship battles in the historically liberal countries: France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Ireland
8. The new European frontier: the 12 Accession countries
Conclusion
Appendix I
Appendix II.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA]