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“Needed but Undeserving”: Contestations of Entitlement in the Danish Policy Framework on Migration and Integration

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Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology ((PSEPS))

Abstract

This chapter investigates how entitlement is being narratively framed through contestations and negotiations in the policy regimes on labour migration. The chapter focuses particularly on the case of Denmark. It has been argued that the Nordic welfare states can be characterised as expressions of a universal welfare state; however, when it comes to the Nordic immigration regimes, there is less similarity. Contrary to studies emphasising the role of right-wing populist parties, our claim is that we find a decreasing level of contestation among the political parties and increasing support of welfare chauvinism. Furthermore, the chapter argues that we have seen an increased culturalisation becoming the basis for entitlement and access and thus creating new stratifications of exclusion and inclusion.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It should be mentioned that the Aliens Law also introduced a number of restrictions, for example, the tightening of citizenship requirements. A main aim of the revision was also to curb the number of asylum-seekers, despite broadening the category of protection (see also Sainsbury 2012).

  2. 2.

    In Denmark, there are a larger number of specialised schemes which provide easier access to the labour market. These schemes include the Green Card scheme, the Positive List, the Pay Limit scheme, the Fast-track arrangement, Start-up Denmark to mention some (see the full list at https://www.nyidanmark.dk/da-dk/Ophold/arbejde/arbejdsophold.htm). Common to these schemes is that they offer easier access to residence, labour market, family reunification and so on (see Jørgensen and Thomsen 2016 for a longer discussion).

  3. 3.

    Educational backgrounds are assessed by Danish Agency for Universities and Internationalisation.

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Jørgensen, M.B., Thomsen, T.L. (2018). “Needed but Undeserving”: Contestations of Entitlement in the Danish Policy Framework on Migration and Integration. In: Fossum, J., Kastoryano, R., Siim, B. (eds) Diversity and Contestations over Nationalism in Europe and Canada. Palgrave Studies in European Political Sociology. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58987-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58987-3_13

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-58986-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-58987-3

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