Managing Labour Migration in Europe Ideas, Knowledge and Policy Change

Labour migration has become one of the hot topics in Europe, especially since 2000 with the shift from restriction to managed migration. This book provides an authoritative account of policy change over labour migration in Europe during this new era of governance. It addresses the observation that we often know very little about the flow of ideas, and what actually drives politicians and policymakers to make decisions about immigration. It reveals the impacts of ideas and knowledge on policy change in two of the major labour importing countries in the EU: the UK and Spain. The research shows why, when, how and where policy frames on labour migration shift and change. The work provides evidence of an increasing but variegated role for expertise in policy formation and demonstrates how, and in what ways, national modes of policymaking intervene to resist or facilitate the adoption of new ideas. The book has important implications for debates about the contemporary governance of labour migration in Europe, and questions about the impact of an emergent EU migration regime in the context of a globalising labour market. The key findings offer a deeper understanding of the linkages between those engaged in policymaking and the kinds of communities that produce usable knowledge. It will therefore be essential reading for academics, practitioners and students of migration and national policy processes in the EU. It will be an invaluable resource for individuals and organisations active in the immigration policy community, including policymakers themselves, but also the wider network of NGOs, think tanks and interest groups.

Alex Balch is ESRC Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Politics at Sheffield University.

Preface and acknowledgments * List of abbreviations * List of tables * List of figures * Introduction * Labour migration policy theory – the state of the art * Developing the approach: theory and methods * Case study one: labour migration policy change in Spain * Case study two: labour migration policy change in the UK * The EU and labour migration policymaking in the UK and Spain * Managing migration in the UK and Spain: ideas and policy change * Conclusions * References * Index