Public debates on integration and immigration in six West European countries

Abstract

By analyzing public debates on integration and immigration and issues this paper investigates to what extent citizenship models can be considered a broader societal phenomenon. Do these models exist beyond legal regulations? Do they shape the way political actors struggle over such issues in public or are these debates transnational in nature and much more influenced by international actors and liberal norms? To answer these questions, positions and arguments of political actors in the context of various issues related to integration and immigration are investigated. Quantitative media data for the period 1999 – 2006 are used to analyze debates in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Results show that citizenship models are not reflected in national debates. On the contrary, they are very similar across countries. There is no form of direct transnationalism either: Foreign and international actors play a negligible role in national debates. However, forms of indirect transnationalism can be observed: Political actors relatively often resort to moral-universalist arguments to back their positions.