Exploring Effects Of Integration Policy On The Inclusion Of Non-Eu Immigrants In Europe: The Case Of Maghrebi Immigrants In Spain And France [védés előtt]

Abstract

Mainstream academic literature relates the success of migrant integration to socio-economic inclusion policies that seek to include migrants in the job market and secure their socio-economic right. However, the existence of personal as well as external factors (presented below) create a challenge for the current integration policies towards non-EU migrants, especially those of Maghrebi origins (Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria). This research is an attempt to contribute to mainstream literature on migrant integration theories considering signs of failure of integration such as; 1) the rise of radicalisation1 among selected categories of migrants; 2) alienation and dissonance from society; and, 4) increase of anti-immigrant attitude not only among extreme right-wing political parties but within the majority population at large.2 Using both qualitative and quantitative research methods, such as interviews, analysis of laws and regulations, as well as data from the European Social Survey (ESS), I conducted an assessment of the impact of integration policies on Maghrebi immigrants in France and Spain. The qualitative results show that policy outcomes vary across integration dimensions between the two European countries, in spite of the fact that “social cohesion” indicators reveal that Maghrebi immigrants in Spain are more satisfied and attached to their host society than Muslims in France, where anti-immigrant discourse hinders policy initiatives for inclusion. The quantitative part applies ESS data to examine the perceptions and attitudes of the immigrant community in France and Spain, specifically focusing on Maghrebi immigrants as the sample of the case study. The study's findings demonstrate how attitudes mirrors the process of integration experienced by Maghrebi immigrants in two of Europe's largest immigration countries.