Teaching Guide Information

Presentation

Presentation of the course.

The challenges that the settlement of immigrant populations pose to receiving countries entail the future configuration of European welfare states and the place of immigrants within these societies, considering both more basic dimensions as social and political rights, as well as educational attainment, equality of opportunities and non-discrimination. The situation of the emerging second, and third, generations of immigrants appears particularly crucial for whether processes towards increasing integration, or reversely disintegration, take place. Taking into account the general context of financial crisis and the ongoing transformation of European welfare states, this course is distributed along three main sections:

1) Immigrant integration in the welfare state;

2) Equality and ethnic pluralism in theory and practice; and

3) The labor market and anti-discrimination

The first, and largest, section deals with the integration of immigrants into European welfare states. Here, we will use existing empirical studies to approach some of the main social challenges related to immigration that are currently played out in European societies: controversies around border control and continuing (irregular) immigration; ethnic segregation and inequalities in education. We will also discuss different policy approaches towards integration: from assimilation to an understanding of integration as a mutual adaptation process.

The second section of the course places more weight on the theoretical dimension than the other two sections, and focuses on the analysis of different, sometimes contentious perspectives on coexistence in ethnically plural societies, involving multiculturalism, liberal equality and gender. The overall question during this part of the course will be how “justice” and equality of opportunities can be achieved in increasingly ethnically plural, and divided, societies.

The third section, finally, focuses on the situation of immigrants and their children on European labor markets, assuming that employment is essential for integration to function, and that a strong ethnic segmentation on the labor market harms integration processes. We will consider what obstacles there are to equal participation on the labor market with special emphasis on ethnic discrimination, learn about European anti-discrimination policies and discuss how it is possible, with policy-making as principal tool, to accomplish a more positive development. During this section, the students will also be asked to formulate a short policy proposal within an area related to immigration, to present in class during the last session. The course will provide students with broad knowledge and multiple perspectives on immigrant integration in European welfare states and the challenges it poses for policymaking.

The approach throughout the course will be analytically comparative.

Associated skills

The skills associated with this course can be organized, according to the general

classification followed in the whole Master in Immigration Management program, as a

set of General and Specific skills.

Among the General skills we can point out:

Instrumental skills:

- Capacity to express and use theoretical concepts (CG 1).

- Capacity to search, manage, analyze, interpret, produce and apply information

(CG 2).

- Capacity to generate and organize programs (CG 3).

- Capacity to generate oral and written presentations (CG 4).

- Capacity to manage time according to pre-established objectives (CG 5).

Interpersonal skills:

- Appreciation of diversity and multiculturalism (CG 6).

- Critical capacity and self-criticism (CG 7).

- Capacity to communicate with experts from other areas of knowledge and to

manage conflict situations (CG 8).

- Relational skills for conflict resolution (CG 9).

- Capacity to work in teams in common projects (CG 12).

Systemic:

- Orientation towards results that provide practical solutions to specific problems

(CG 15).

- Capacity to learn and to get adapted to new situations (CG 16).

- Capacity to recognize traditions and cultures from other countries (CG 17).

- Capacity for innovation (CG 19).

A series of specific skills to be acquired in this course can also be pointed out:

- Capacity to identify the institutional and political opportunity structures

available to immigrants.

- Capacity to combine the policies of redistribution and recognition applied to the

management of migration.

- Capacity to define the public policies linked to immigration and to other

domains of policy.

- Capacity to identify the main trend in the national and International debates

about immigration policies and their relation to the Welfare State.

- Capacity to identify and compare the structure and organization of public

administrations involved in the domains of immigration and integration

- Capacity of initiative and strategy to search for information about the situation

in other European countries, as well as about the European Union.

- Capacity to design, implement and evaluate policies, programs and plans related

to immigration, theoretically grounded and with a comparative perspective.

- Capacity to identify the main issues associated with immigration induced

conflicts, and to relate them to a theoretical and applied analysis.

Prerequisites

In order to attend this course students do not need a former specialization in the Social Sciences. The course provides the necessary conceptual foundation to understand the academic debates linked to the study of the relations between immigration and the Welfare State in contemporary European societies. This course is taught in English, so the students must have a sufficient level of knowledge of this language so as to follow the lectures, do the compulsory readings conduct bibliographic searches, and present in class one of those readings.

Contents

The course will be divided in three sections, comprising altogether ten sessions of three

hours each.

Course program:

I) Immigrant integration in the welfare state

1) Introduction: Welfare regimes, immigration and integration. A European dilemma?

- Schierup, C.U., P. Hansen & S. Castles (2006): Migration, Citizenship, and the

European Welfare State: A European Dilemma, Oxford: Oxford University

Press. Available online at upf.edu (biblioteca).

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8

- Nannestad, P. (2007). Immigration and welfare states: A survey of 15 years of

research, European Journal of Political Economy 23, 512–532.

- Penninx, R. & B. Garcés-Mascareñas (2016): “The concept of integration as an analytical tool and as a policy concept” in B. Garcés-Mascareñas & R. Penninx (eds.) Integration processes and policies in Europe. Contexts, levels and actors. Springer. 

2) Irregular immigration and the rights of immigrants

- Arango, J. and Jachimowicz, M. (2005) “Regularizing Immigrants in Spain: A

New Approach”, published at www.migrationinformation.org on September 1,

2005.

- Sainsbury, D (2006) “Immigrants’ social rights in comparative perspective:

welfare regimes, forms of immigration and policy regimes” European Journal of

Social Policy 16(3)

- Morehouse, C. & Blomfield, M. (2011) “Irregular Migration in Europe.” Report from Migration Policy Institute.

3) Residential segregation: different European experiences

- Arbaci, S. (2008). “(Re)Viewing Ethnic Residential Segregation in Southern

European Cities: Housing and Urban Regimes as Mechanisms of

Marginalisation”, in Housing Studies, 23:4, pp. 589-613.

- Phillips, D. (2010): “Minority Ethnic Segregation, Integration and Citizenship:

A European Perspective”, in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Vol.

36 (2): 209-225.

- Musterd, S. (2011) “The impact of immigrants’ segregation and concentration on social integration in selected European contexts,” Documents d’Anàlisi Geogràfica 2011, vol. 57/3 359-380

4) Inequalities in education

- Cebolla Boado, H. (2011). “Primary and Secondary effects in the explanation of

immigrant’s educational disadvantage”. British Journal of Sociology of

Education. 32(3):407-430.

- Noack Fekjær, Silje and Birkelund, Gunn Elisabeth (2007) “Does the Ethnic

Composition of Upper Secondary Schools Influence Educational Achievement

and Attainment? A Multilevel Analysis of the Norwegian Case” European

Sociological Review 23(3): 309-323

- Crul, M. & Schneider, J. (2009) “The Second Generation in Europe: Education and the Transition to the Labour Market,” Report from the TIES project

5) Incorporation of immigrants at the local level

- Gebhardt, D. (2014) “Building Inclusive Cities: Challenges in the Multilevel

Governance of Immigrant Integration in Europe.” Washington DC: Migration

Policy Institute

- Rodríguez García, D. (2010) “Beyond Assimilation and Multiculturalism: A

Critical Review of the Debate on Managing Diversity.” Journal of International

Migration and Integration / Revue de l integration et de la migration

internationale 08/2010; 11(3):251-271

- Report on the integration of immigrants in Catalonia 2015: http://treballiaferssocials.gencat.cat/web/.content/03ambits_tematics/05immigracio/dades_immigracio/informe_integracio/2015/EN_Informe-integracio-immigracio-2015.pdf

II) Equality and ethnic pluralism in theory and practice

6) Multiculturalism and liberal egalitarianism

- Taylor, C. (1992): Multiculturalism and the politics of recognition. New Jersey.

Princeton University Press.

- Chapters 1, 2, 6, 12 and 13 in Banting, K. and Kymlicka, W. (2006):

Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Recognition and Redistribution in

Contemporary Democracies.

- Fraser, N. (1995). “From Redistribution to Recognition? Dilemmas of Justice a

‘Post-Socialist’ Age”,New Left Review I/212, July-August 1995.

- Koopmans, R. (2010) “Trade-Offs between Equality and Difference: Immigrant

Integration, Multiculturalism and the Welfare State in Cross-National

Perspective”, in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 36(1):1-26.

7) Multicultural rights and gender equality: real and potential tensions

- Moller Okin, S. “Is multiculturalism bad for women?”

- Hellgren, Z. & Hobson, B. (2008) “Cultural dialogues in the good society:

The case of honour killings in Sweden”, Ethnicities, Vol. 8: 3, pp. 385-404.

- Benhabib, S. (2002) The Claims of Culture. Selected chapters to be decided in class.

III) The labor market and anti-discrimination

8) Immigrants on European labor markets

- Amuedo-Dorantes, C. y de la Rica, S. (2008). Complements or Substitutes?

Immigrant and Native Task Specialization in Spain, FEDEA, Documento de

Trabajo, 2008-35, Madrid.

- Hansen, R. (2012). The Centrality of Employment in Immigrant Integration in

Europe, Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C.

- Dustmann, C. and T. Frattini (2012): Immigration: The European Experience.

NORFACE MIGRATION Discussion Paper No. 2012-01

9) Ethnic discrimination as an obstacle for integration

- Wrench, J., Roosblad, J. & Kraal, K. (2009) Equal Opportunities and Ethnic Inequality in European Labour Markets. Discrimination, Gender and Policies of Diversity. Amsterdam University Press: IMISCOE report series.

- Safi, M. (2010). Immigrants’ Life Satisfaction in Europe: Between Assimilation

and Discrimination. European Sociological Review (2010) 26 (2): 159-176.

- Zick, A., Pettigrew, T. and Wagne, U. (2008) ”Ethnic Prejudice and Discrimination in Europe,” Journal of Social Issues, Vol. 64, No. 2, 2008, pp. 233--251

10) Anti-discrimination in policy and practice

- Simon, P. & Sala Pala, V. (2010) “We’re not all multiculturalists yet. France swings between hard integration and soft anti-discrimination. In Vertovec, S. & Wessendorf, S., eds. Multiculturalism Backlash: European Discourses, Policies and Practices, Routledge.

- Bousetta, H. & Modood, T. (2001) “Anti-Discrimination Good Practice Guide,” Report on the EU Anti-discrimination directive from Eurocities Anti-discrimination Exchange.

- Thompson, N. (2012) Anti-Discriminatory Practice: Equality, Diversity and Social Justice. Selected chapters to be decided in class.

Teaching Methods

The course will be primarily based on 10 sessions composed by lectures by the professor of the (2 hours/session) followed by a seminars (1 hour/session) in which students will make a brief presentation of the key arguments developed through a critical reading of the readings followed by open discussion.

Prior to the lectures, students must have carefully and critically read the text assigned as

a required reading for each session to establish a dynamic interaction within the class to

better grasp the main ideas and concepts addressed by each topic of the program.

After the first day of class, we will proceed to arrange the order of the presentations in

the seminars, assigning each student a reading for which he/she will be responsible. The

purpose of this presentation will not only summarize the basic arguments raised by the

author of the text, but to promote a debate among students about the issues discussed in

reading.

At the end of the second quarter each student must submit a project or research working

paper resulting from his/her own research on a topic agreed upon with the professor

beforehand. Between the third and fourth sessions of the course the nature of this

document must be agreed with the professor.

Evaluation

The evaluation of the students participating in this course will be based on three main

components:

- Drafting of a Research Project or a Working Paper about a topic related to the

course. The content of this document will have to be negotiated with the

professor between the third and fourth session of the course. Its length will be

approximately 3,500 words, and it will be submitted at the end of the term (40%

of the mark).

- Drafting of a short Policy Proposal of approximately 1,000 words within an area related to immigration (30% of the mark)

- Class presentation of one of the compulsory readings during the seminar session

of the course (15% of the mark).

- Active participation during the class debates and discussion of the readings

(15% of the mark).