Neureiter, Michael
(2018)
On the Origins and Effects of Contemporary Immigrant Integration Policy in Western Europe.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
In recent years, several European countries have adopted mandatory language and civic education requirements for immigrants. This dissertation examines why and to what effect this particular integration policy has spread across large parts of Europe. To do so, it is divided into three empirical chapters. The first chapter addresses the question why European countries have adopted mandatory language and civic education requirements for immigrants at different times and to different extents. To answer this question, I analyze country-level data on 25 EU member states between 2005 and 2014. I find that a country’s integration policy is strongly influenced by its past policy as well as the policies of the countries most successful at integrating their immigrant communities. In addition, I find that immigrants’ level of economic integration is positively related to the strictness of a country’s integration requirements; models with endogeneity correction suggest that the causal arrow runs exclusively from the latter to the former. The second empirical chapter evaluates whether mandatory language and civic education requirements for immigrants have been successful at achieving their intended goals. It uses data provided by the European Social Survey (2002-2015) to examine the effect of different integration policies in 15 EU member states on immigrants’ levels of social, political, and economic integration. I find that mandatory integration requirements have a strong and positive effect on immigrants’ level of economic integration, but no impact on their degree of social and political integration. In the final chapter, I posit that integration policies not only affect the immigrants targeted by them but also have broader impacts on the host society. Specifically, I argue that public opinion toward immigrants is more favorable in countries with mandatory language and civic education requirements for immigrants than it is in countries without. Analyzing public opinion data in 15 EU member states provided by the European Social Survey (2002-2015) as well as evidence from two original survey experiments in the United Kingdom, I find support for my argument. Therefore, the results presented in this dissertation make a reasonable case for the adoption of stricter language and civic education requirements for immigrants.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
|
| ETD Committee: |
| Title | Member | Email Address | Pitt Username | ORCID |
|---|
| Committee Chair | Finkel, Steven | | | | | Committee Member | Donno, Daniela | | | | | Committee Member | Hays, Jude | | | | | Committee Member | Shafiq, Najeeb | | | |
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| Date: |
28 June 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
9 April 2018 |
| Approval Date: |
28 June 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
12 April 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
254 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Political Science |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
migration; Europe; European Union; integration policy; multiculturalism; assimilation |
| Date Deposited: |
28 Jun 2018 18:35 |
| Last Modified: |
28 Jun 2018 18:35 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/34281 |
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