Perspectives on European Immigration Policies

Abstract: Three books studying European immigration from the perspectives of economics, political science and sociology reach different conclusions on some key aspects of this policy. This article suggests three avenues for future research. First, there is a need to develop institutionally richer political economy models of migration to examine the conditional nature of state control over immigration. Second, case selection bias in assessing the legacy of immigration for nationality laws should be redressed starting with a more encompassing theory of policy reform. Third, the impact of national welfare policies on the mode of integration of immigrants in the receiving countries could be a promising area of investigation. The article illustrates this using employment protection legislation and family policies.