This PhD thesis explores how policies in several receiving countries in Europe shape the labour market integration of humanitarian migrants. This research involved a systematic comparison across seven countries (The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Greece) in the period 1990 - 2008. Building on the integration framework of Ager and Strang (2008), I argue that integration is a multidimensional process that is influenced by both the individual characteristics of persons and the policy factors in the countries of reception. A combination of various policy instruments create an environment conditioning the behaviour of the integrating migrants, namely in granting or depriving legal rights, allowing more or less decision-making freedom with regards to employment or residence, and facilitating or hampering employment trajectories. A policy tool does not act in isolation, thus I deem it crucial to consider several policy areas at the same time. The following aspects are explored in this study: 1) access to a stable residence status and official labour market; 2) welfare benefit policies; 3) policies actively promoting labour market participation; 4) policies supporting language training. I show how different configurations of these policy conditions have led to different labour market integration outcomes among humanitarian migrants. Successful labour market integration is understood as equal labour market performance between humanitarian migrants and natives. This is operationalized by two indicators – difference in employment chances and difference in chances of having a good quality job. These parameters are measured through logistic regression analysis using the data of the European Labour Force Survey, Ad-hoc Module of 2008. The findings reveal that no country exhibited an outcome where humanitarian migrants are fully equal to natives in both parameters. However, Norway and Germany were found to be the countries where the differences between humanitarian migrants and natives were minimal. This outcome was labelled ‘balanced integration’. Using a technique of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), I compared the configurations of policies observed in the countries revealing balanced integration (Germany and Norway) with the remaining five countries. I found that having obligatory language and employability training programmes for humanitarian migrants was a crucial policy aspect, and the success of economic integration increases when such a policy is combined with generous welfare benefits and relatively easy and fast access to the official labour market.

ROLE OF POLICY CONFIGURATIONS IN LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF HUMANITARIAN MIGRANTS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES / A. Pisarevskaya ; supervisor: M. Ambrosini ; co-supervisor: A. Damonte ; director of doctoral program: M. Cardano. DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE SOCIALI E POLITICHE, 2018 Apr 18. 30. ciclo, Anno Accademico 2017. [10.13130/pisarevskaya-asya_phd2018-04-18].

ROLE OF POLICY CONFIGURATIONS IN LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF HUMANITARIAN MIGRANTS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

A. Pisarevskaya
2018

Abstract

This PhD thesis explores how policies in several receiving countries in Europe shape the labour market integration of humanitarian migrants. This research involved a systematic comparison across seven countries (The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Sweden, Norway and Greece) in the period 1990 - 2008. Building on the integration framework of Ager and Strang (2008), I argue that integration is a multidimensional process that is influenced by both the individual characteristics of persons and the policy factors in the countries of reception. A combination of various policy instruments create an environment conditioning the behaviour of the integrating migrants, namely in granting or depriving legal rights, allowing more or less decision-making freedom with regards to employment or residence, and facilitating or hampering employment trajectories. A policy tool does not act in isolation, thus I deem it crucial to consider several policy areas at the same time. The following aspects are explored in this study: 1) access to a stable residence status and official labour market; 2) welfare benefit policies; 3) policies actively promoting labour market participation; 4) policies supporting language training. I show how different configurations of these policy conditions have led to different labour market integration outcomes among humanitarian migrants. Successful labour market integration is understood as equal labour market performance between humanitarian migrants and natives. This is operationalized by two indicators – difference in employment chances and difference in chances of having a good quality job. These parameters are measured through logistic regression analysis using the data of the European Labour Force Survey, Ad-hoc Module of 2008. The findings reveal that no country exhibited an outcome where humanitarian migrants are fully equal to natives in both parameters. However, Norway and Germany were found to be the countries where the differences between humanitarian migrants and natives were minimal. This outcome was labelled ‘balanced integration’. Using a technique of qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), I compared the configurations of policies observed in the countries revealing balanced integration (Germany and Norway) with the remaining five countries. I found that having obligatory language and employability training programmes for humanitarian migrants was a crucial policy aspect, and the success of economic integration increases when such a policy is combined with generous welfare benefits and relatively easy and fast access to the official labour market.
18-apr-2018
Settore SPS/07 - Sociologia Generale
Settore SPS/04 - Scienza Politica
AMBROSINI, MAURIZIO
AMBROSINI, MAURIZIO
DAMONTE, ALESSIA
Cardano, Mario
Doctoral Thesis
ROLE OF POLICY CONFIGURATIONS IN LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF HUMANITARIAN MIGRANTS. A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SEVEN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES / A. Pisarevskaya ; supervisor: M. Ambrosini ; co-supervisor: A. Damonte ; director of doctoral program: M. Cardano. DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE SOCIALI E POLITICHE, 2018 Apr 18. 30. ciclo, Anno Accademico 2017. [10.13130/pisarevskaya-asya_phd2018-04-18].
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