Lucie Cerna is an Analyst in the Directorate for Education and Skills at the OECD, Paris, and a Research Associate at COMPAS, Oxford. Previously she was a Lecturer in Politics at Merton College, University of Oxford, and an Assistant Professor in Global Challenges (Political Economy) at Leiden University, Netherlands. Lucie holds a DPhil from the University of Oxford, where she focused on the governance of high-skilled migration policies. Her research interests include the governance of education and innovation, high-skilled migration, comparative public policy and European Union politics. In addition to her academic work, Lucie has been consultant for a number of international organisations, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Supervisors: David Rueda and Martin Ruhs
This book examines the variation in high-skilled immigration policies in OECD countries. These co... more This book examines the variation in high-skilled immigration policies in OECD countries. These countries face economic and social pressures from slowing productivity, ageing populations and pressing labour shortages. To address these inter-related challenges, the potential of the global labour market needs to be harnessed. Countries need to intensify their efforts to attract talented people – the best and the brightest. While some are excelling in this new marketplace, others lag behind. The book explores the reasons for this, analysing the interplay between interests and institutions. It considers the key role of coalitions between labour (both high- and low-skilled) and capital. Central to the analysis is a newly constructed index of openness to high-skilled immigrants, supplemented by detailed case studies of France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The book contributes to the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy, and appeals to academic and policy audiences.
Taking the case of defining " talent, " a term that has been widely used but its definitions diff... more Taking the case of defining " talent, " a term that has been widely used but its definitions differ by discipline, organization, policy sector, as well as over time, we demonstrate how the basic definition of a policy subject may affect policy design and the assessment of policy outcomes. We review how " talent " is defined in two sets of literature, talent management and migration studies, and find that definitions fall under one of two categories: binary (" talent " as qualities) or composite (" talent " as a relational concept). The implications of our findings are epistemological and ontological; the findings point to diverse epistemological effects of definitions through developments of indicators, as expected, and they also reveal the policy designers' ontological starting points. Ontological perspectives are significant because they ultimately determine whether the policy assessments carried out differ in degrees or in kind. In the case of defining " talent, " this means determining which objectives the designers would set (e.g., recruiting vs. cultivating vs. introducing competition), the policy instrumentation for achieving the goals (migration measures vs. education vs. lifelong learning vs. human resource policy), and the type of assessment for measuring policy outcomes (single vs. multiple indicators, qualitative vs. quantitative).
Sweden used to be one of the most restrictive countries in the Organisation of Economic Developme... more Sweden used to be one of the most restrictive countries in the Organisation of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) in terms of labour immigration policy. This was drastically changed in 2008 when a very liberal immigration law was passed. Why did one of the most restrictive labour immigration countries suddenly become one of the most liberal ones? The article argues that it is necessary to consider labour market institutions and their consequences for labour migration. These factors will influence the preferences, strategies and chances of success for various policy actors. A decline in union power and corporatism in Sweden had important consequences for its labour immigration. Following this decline, employers and centre-right parties became more active and adopted more liberal policy positions than previously. The article analyses policy developments since the 1960s and draws on official documents, position statements, party manifestos, media coverage and original elite interviews.
The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led
governments to scramble for so... more The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation. Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled. Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled immigration policies, while others took advantage of the crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions, the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for so... more The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation. Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled. Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled immigration policies, while others took advantage of the crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions, the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
The Palgrave Handbook of International Labour Migration Law and Policy Perspectives
The recent economic crisis accentuated a globalization backlash with low growth and high unemploy... more The recent economic crisis accentuated a globalization backlash with low growth and high unemployment haunting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Tensions over trade, immigration, and foreign direct investment (FDI) have been building for years, partly due to the distributional consequences of globalization and how they are perceived. However, international regimes, especially for trade (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) helped avoid a return of beggar-thy-neighbour policies where the national protectionist impulses prevail. In the area of migration, unlike trade, money, and finance, international coordination is weak and this partly explains the differing responses to trade and migration during the crisis. In some instances, policy has been myopic, doing little to protect jobs and native workers, while at the same time threatening the future competitiveness of economies by ceding ground in the contest for the best and the brightest. This chapter explores different
policy responses to economic crisis in the context of strong multilateral institutions for trade, and the relative absence of such institutions for migration.
The education sector is often considered not prone to innovation. However, recent research indica... more The education sector is often considered not prone to innovation. However, recent research indicates that education can be as innovative as other sectors, if the right conditions and governance structures are in place. This article examines the governance of innovation in education systems. It traces the role of innovation for education, presents how innovation is measured and analyses how it can be governed successfully. Education systems operate under considerable governance complexity which has consequences for questions of accountability, trust, professionalism and leadership. This article proposes a simple framework of different governance elements and examines what kind of accountability, leadership, trust and professionalism may be suitable to promote and sustain innovation in education. The article indicates that, for instance, horizontal accountability combined with strong professionalism and trust may generate a culture of innovation, especially when supported by strong learning and political leadership. Nonetheless, the context and specific conditions in countries and education systems need to be taken into consideration as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The findings are based on OECD publications and existing literature on education, governance and innovation.
Trust is indispensable for social and economic relations; it is the glue that holds organisations... more Trust is indispensable for social and economic relations; it is the glue that holds organisations together and appears to work somehow mysteriously. Overall, trust is a ubiquitous ingredient in policymaking and implementation across many governance systems including education, whether it concerns accountability mechanisms, capacity building or strategic thinking. Yet our understanding, conceptualisation and measurement of these issues remain limited. This working paper asks the question: what is trust and how does it matter for governance, especially in education systems? It explores why trust is key for policymaking and where it fits within current governance issues. The paper examines different definitions of trust, presents various ways of measuring trust and discusses some of their benefits and limitations. It proposes a definition of trust made up of three parts: trust as an expectation, a willingness to be vulnerable and a risk-taking act. The paper then presents a simple model of trust and governance and reviews the relationship between trust and different elements in education systems, such as complexity, asymmetries in information and power, collaboration/cooperation, monitoring and accountability, and professionalization. It concludes with some policy findings and identifies several research gaps.
Labour market shortages, structural problems and unfavourable demographics have all
prompted gov... more Labour market shortages, structural problems and unfavourable demographics have all
prompted governments to act, often by focusing on high-skilled immigration. However, policy
responses have been very different. Some countries were able to adopt quite open high-skilled
immigration policies, while others did not. This article provides a political economy explanation
for this. It argues that, despite similar pressures, high-skilled immigration policy outputs
vary due to shifting coalitions between disaggregated sectors of native high-skilled, low-skilled
labour and capital. To probe this argument, the article examines coalitions in four countries
(France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) from the late 1990s to present, and
draws on original interviews with policy-makers, unions and employers’ associations; official
documents and the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy. The varying
labour market organization of actors informs differences in coalitions which in turn has
resulted in different high-skilled immigration policy outputs, cross-nationally and over time.
"Over the last decade, skilled immigration has proliferated as a policy preference among governme... more "Over the last decade, skilled immigration has proliferated as a policy preference among governments.
Skilled immigration policies target the supply of new immigrants into labour market gaps that
result from economic shifts and structural ageing. At the same time, skilled immigrants are often
viewed as less welfare dependent and more labour market ready that other forms of immigrants,
including those entering through family reunification streams. International organizations, including
the World Bank and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have
also emphasized the growing importance of skilled immigration globally.
Notwithstanding this considerable attention by both international and domestic government agencies
to skilled immigration, it is notable that to date there has been no single special issue produced
on skilled immigration policies in comparative perspective. A number of important collected books
have been edited on the topic (Bhagwati and Hanson, 2009; Boeri et al, 2012; Chiswick, 2010;
Ruhs and Anderson, 2010; Triadafilopoulos, 2013). Yet, at present, we lack a special issue on this
topic. This current special issue, bringing together many of the world’s experts on skilled immigration
policy, attempts to fill the gap. In the following introductory article, we briefly set out some of
the major themes for contemporary skilled immigration policy globally, and discuss how these
issues are addressed in the contributions in this Special Issue."
To examine the role of regional cooperation in the global race for top foreign talent, we study h... more To examine the role of regional cooperation in the global race for top foreign talent, we study how the Lisbon Strategy’s implementation contributed to these efforts. Specifically, we analyse the Scientific Visa and the Blue Card, two EU legislations for attracting the ‘best-and-brightest’ from abroad. Official figures tell us that the number of highly-skilled migrants recruited so far is low and, following an inductive logic, we parse out the ‘value-added’ of regional collaboration beyond legislative coordination. Taking as our departure point Borrás and Radaelli’s concept of the Lisbon Strategy as ‘governance architecture’, we apply the framing approach to show how the Scientific Visa and Blue Card framed labour migration differently: as initiatives for ‘mobile excellence’ and ‘border management’ respectively. Our findings reveal that they contributed to the Lisbon Strategy’s evolution as a process of ‘conversion’ and point to the ‘value-added’ of regional cooperation as a ‘sense-making’ exercise.
This book examines the variation in high-skilled immigration policies in OECD countries. These co... more This book examines the variation in high-skilled immigration policies in OECD countries. These countries face economic and social pressures from slowing productivity, ageing populations and pressing labour shortages. To address these inter-related challenges, the potential of the global labour market needs to be harnessed. Countries need to intensify their efforts to attract talented people – the best and the brightest. While some are excelling in this new marketplace, others lag behind. The book explores the reasons for this, analysing the interplay between interests and institutions. It considers the key role of coalitions between labour (both high- and low-skilled) and capital. Central to the analysis is a newly constructed index of openness to high-skilled immigrants, supplemented by detailed case studies of France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The book contributes to the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy, and appeals to academic and policy audiences.
Taking the case of defining " talent, " a term that has been widely used but its definitions diff... more Taking the case of defining " talent, " a term that has been widely used but its definitions differ by discipline, organization, policy sector, as well as over time, we demonstrate how the basic definition of a policy subject may affect policy design and the assessment of policy outcomes. We review how " talent " is defined in two sets of literature, talent management and migration studies, and find that definitions fall under one of two categories: binary (" talent " as qualities) or composite (" talent " as a relational concept). The implications of our findings are epistemological and ontological; the findings point to diverse epistemological effects of definitions through developments of indicators, as expected, and they also reveal the policy designers' ontological starting points. Ontological perspectives are significant because they ultimately determine whether the policy assessments carried out differ in degrees or in kind. In the case of defining " talent, " this means determining which objectives the designers would set (e.g., recruiting vs. cultivating vs. introducing competition), the policy instrumentation for achieving the goals (migration measures vs. education vs. lifelong learning vs. human resource policy), and the type of assessment for measuring policy outcomes (single vs. multiple indicators, qualitative vs. quantitative).
Sweden used to be one of the most restrictive countries in the Organisation of Economic Developme... more Sweden used to be one of the most restrictive countries in the Organisation of Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD) in terms of labour immigration policy. This was drastically changed in 2008 when a very liberal immigration law was passed. Why did one of the most restrictive labour immigration countries suddenly become one of the most liberal ones? The article argues that it is necessary to consider labour market institutions and their consequences for labour migration. These factors will influence the preferences, strategies and chances of success for various policy actors. A decline in union power and corporatism in Sweden had important consequences for its labour immigration. Following this decline, employers and centre-right parties became more active and adopted more liberal policy positions than previously. The article analyses policy developments since the 1960s and draws on official documents, position statements, party manifestos, media coverage and original elite interviews.
The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led
governments to scramble for so... more The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation. Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled. Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled immigration policies, while others took advantage of the crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions, the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for so... more The recent economic crisis provided a shock to the system, and led governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation. Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled. Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled immigration policies, while others took advantage of the crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions, the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
The Palgrave Handbook of International Labour Migration Law and Policy Perspectives
The recent economic crisis accentuated a globalization backlash with low growth and high unemploy... more The recent economic crisis accentuated a globalization backlash with low growth and high unemployment haunting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. Tensions over trade, immigration, and foreign direct investment (FDI) have been building for years, partly due to the distributional consequences of globalization and how they are perceived. However, international regimes, especially for trade (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) helped avoid a return of beggar-thy-neighbour policies where the national protectionist impulses prevail. In the area of migration, unlike trade, money, and finance, international coordination is weak and this partly explains the differing responses to trade and migration during the crisis. In some instances, policy has been myopic, doing little to protect jobs and native workers, while at the same time threatening the future competitiveness of economies by ceding ground in the contest for the best and the brightest. This chapter explores different
policy responses to economic crisis in the context of strong multilateral institutions for trade, and the relative absence of such institutions for migration.
The education sector is often considered not prone to innovation. However, recent research indica... more The education sector is often considered not prone to innovation. However, recent research indicates that education can be as innovative as other sectors, if the right conditions and governance structures are in place. This article examines the governance of innovation in education systems. It traces the role of innovation for education, presents how innovation is measured and analyses how it can be governed successfully. Education systems operate under considerable governance complexity which has consequences for questions of accountability, trust, professionalism and leadership. This article proposes a simple framework of different governance elements and examines what kind of accountability, leadership, trust and professionalism may be suitable to promote and sustain innovation in education. The article indicates that, for instance, horizontal accountability combined with strong professionalism and trust may generate a culture of innovation, especially when supported by strong learning and political leadership. Nonetheless, the context and specific conditions in countries and education systems need to be taken into consideration as there is no one-size-fits-all solution. The findings are based on OECD publications and existing literature on education, governance and innovation.
Trust is indispensable for social and economic relations; it is the glue that holds organisations... more Trust is indispensable for social and economic relations; it is the glue that holds organisations together and appears to work somehow mysteriously. Overall, trust is a ubiquitous ingredient in policymaking and implementation across many governance systems including education, whether it concerns accountability mechanisms, capacity building or strategic thinking. Yet our understanding, conceptualisation and measurement of these issues remain limited. This working paper asks the question: what is trust and how does it matter for governance, especially in education systems? It explores why trust is key for policymaking and where it fits within current governance issues. The paper examines different definitions of trust, presents various ways of measuring trust and discusses some of their benefits and limitations. It proposes a definition of trust made up of three parts: trust as an expectation, a willingness to be vulnerable and a risk-taking act. The paper then presents a simple model of trust and governance and reviews the relationship between trust and different elements in education systems, such as complexity, asymmetries in information and power, collaboration/cooperation, monitoring and accountability, and professionalization. It concludes with some policy findings and identifies several research gaps.
Labour market shortages, structural problems and unfavourable demographics have all
prompted gov... more Labour market shortages, structural problems and unfavourable demographics have all
prompted governments to act, often by focusing on high-skilled immigration. However, policy
responses have been very different. Some countries were able to adopt quite open high-skilled
immigration policies, while others did not. This article provides a political economy explanation
for this. It argues that, despite similar pressures, high-skilled immigration policy outputs
vary due to shifting coalitions between disaggregated sectors of native high-skilled, low-skilled
labour and capital. To probe this argument, the article examines coalitions in four countries
(France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) from the late 1990s to present, and
draws on original interviews with policy-makers, unions and employers’ associations; official
documents and the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy. The varying
labour market organization of actors informs differences in coalitions which in turn has
resulted in different high-skilled immigration policy outputs, cross-nationally and over time.
"Over the last decade, skilled immigration has proliferated as a policy preference among governme... more "Over the last decade, skilled immigration has proliferated as a policy preference among governments.
Skilled immigration policies target the supply of new immigrants into labour market gaps that
result from economic shifts and structural ageing. At the same time, skilled immigrants are often
viewed as less welfare dependent and more labour market ready that other forms of immigrants,
including those entering through family reunification streams. International organizations, including
the World Bank and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have
also emphasized the growing importance of skilled immigration globally.
Notwithstanding this considerable attention by both international and domestic government agencies
to skilled immigration, it is notable that to date there has been no single special issue produced
on skilled immigration policies in comparative perspective. A number of important collected books
have been edited on the topic (Bhagwati and Hanson, 2009; Boeri et al, 2012; Chiswick, 2010;
Ruhs and Anderson, 2010; Triadafilopoulos, 2013). Yet, at present, we lack a special issue on this
topic. This current special issue, bringing together many of the world’s experts on skilled immigration
policy, attempts to fill the gap. In the following introductory article, we briefly set out some of
the major themes for contemporary skilled immigration policy globally, and discuss how these
issues are addressed in the contributions in this Special Issue."
To examine the role of regional cooperation in the global race for top foreign talent, we study h... more To examine the role of regional cooperation in the global race for top foreign talent, we study how the Lisbon Strategy’s implementation contributed to these efforts. Specifically, we analyse the Scientific Visa and the Blue Card, two EU legislations for attracting the ‘best-and-brightest’ from abroad. Official figures tell us that the number of highly-skilled migrants recruited so far is low and, following an inductive logic, we parse out the ‘value-added’ of regional collaboration beyond legislative coordination. Taking as our departure point Borrás and Radaelli’s concept of the Lisbon Strategy as ‘governance architecture’, we apply the framing approach to show how the Scientific Visa and Blue Card framed labour migration differently: as initiatives for ‘mobile excellence’ and ‘border management’ respectively. Our findings reveal that they contributed to the Lisbon Strategy’s evolution as a process of ‘conversion’ and point to the ‘value-added’ of regional cooperation as a ‘sense-making’ exercise.
With the recent increase in bilateral, regional an d global agreements, the question of a shift t... more With the recent increase in bilateral, regional an d global agreements, the question of a shift towards the global governance o f migration has been widely debated among the academic and policy community. This paper will particularly discuss high-skilled labour migration (HSLM), i.e. migrants with university degree or equivalent skills/ training. Some efforts for harmo nised HSLM policy are already
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Books by Lucie Cerna
Papers by Lucie Cerna
governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling
economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation.
Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by
restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled.
Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is
remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled
immigration policies, while others took advantage of the
crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different
reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions,
the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market
institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the
crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely
to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies
than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but
suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines
the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to
explain policy change in selected European countries. It also
presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled
immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based
on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and
media coverage.
suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
policy responses to economic crisis in the context of strong multilateral institutions for trade, and the relative absence of such institutions for migration.
prompted governments to act, often by focusing on high-skilled immigration. However, policy
responses have been very different. Some countries were able to adopt quite open high-skilled
immigration policies, while others did not. This article provides a political economy explanation
for this. It argues that, despite similar pressures, high-skilled immigration policy outputs
vary due to shifting coalitions between disaggregated sectors of native high-skilled, low-skilled
labour and capital. To probe this argument, the article examines coalitions in four countries
(France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) from the late 1990s to present, and
draws on original interviews with policy-makers, unions and employers’ associations; official
documents and the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy. The varying
labour market organization of actors informs differences in coalitions which in turn has
resulted in different high-skilled immigration policy outputs, cross-nationally and over time.
Skilled immigration policies target the supply of new immigrants into labour market gaps that
result from economic shifts and structural ageing. At the same time, skilled immigrants are often
viewed as less welfare dependent and more labour market ready that other forms of immigrants,
including those entering through family reunification streams. International organizations, including
the World Bank and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have
also emphasized the growing importance of skilled immigration globally.
Notwithstanding this considerable attention by both international and domestic government agencies
to skilled immigration, it is notable that to date there has been no single special issue produced
on skilled immigration policies in comparative perspective. A number of important collected books
have been edited on the topic (Bhagwati and Hanson, 2009; Boeri et al, 2012; Chiswick, 2010;
Ruhs and Anderson, 2010; Triadafilopoulos, 2013). Yet, at present, we lack a special issue on this
topic. This current special issue, bringing together many of the world’s experts on skilled immigration
policy, attempts to fill the gap. In the following introductory article, we briefly set out some of
the major themes for contemporary skilled immigration policy globally, and discuss how these
issues are addressed in the contributions in this Special Issue."
governments to scramble for solutions to problems of falling
economic growth, high unemployment and weak job creation.
Many European governments responded to protectionist calls by
restricting immigration policies, even towards the highly skilled.
Yet countries have faced different challenges and thus the cross-national variation in the demand for policy closure or openness is
remarkable. Some seized the opportunity to restrict their high-skilled
immigration policies, while others took advantage of the
crisis for further liberalisation. The article explores different
reasons for this variation, ranging from socio-economic conditions,
the inflow of labour migrants to the role of labour market
institutions and political actors. Countries badly affected by the
crisis and with a recent influx of labour migrants were more likely
to respond to mobilised groups lobbying for restrictive policies
than those countries weathering the crisis relatively better but
suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines
the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to
explain policy change in selected European countries. It also
presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled
immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based
on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and
media coverage.
suffering from continuing labour shortages. The article examines the changing conditions and the role of mobilised stakeholders to explain policy change in selected European countries. It also presents an updated index on states’ openness to high-skilled immigrants to measure change over time. The findings are based on position statements of stakeholders, official documents and media coverage.
policy responses to economic crisis in the context of strong multilateral institutions for trade, and the relative absence of such institutions for migration.
prompted governments to act, often by focusing on high-skilled immigration. However, policy
responses have been very different. Some countries were able to adopt quite open high-skilled
immigration policies, while others did not. This article provides a political economy explanation
for this. It argues that, despite similar pressures, high-skilled immigration policy outputs
vary due to shifting coalitions between disaggregated sectors of native high-skilled, low-skilled
labour and capital. To probe this argument, the article examines coalitions in four countries
(France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom) from the late 1990s to present, and
draws on original interviews with policy-makers, unions and employers’ associations; official
documents and the literature on immigration, political economy and public policy. The varying
labour market organization of actors informs differences in coalitions which in turn has
resulted in different high-skilled immigration policy outputs, cross-nationally and over time.
Skilled immigration policies target the supply of new immigrants into labour market gaps that
result from economic shifts and structural ageing. At the same time, skilled immigrants are often
viewed as less welfare dependent and more labour market ready that other forms of immigrants,
including those entering through family reunification streams. International organizations, including
the World Bank and the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), have
also emphasized the growing importance of skilled immigration globally.
Notwithstanding this considerable attention by both international and domestic government agencies
to skilled immigration, it is notable that to date there has been no single special issue produced
on skilled immigration policies in comparative perspective. A number of important collected books
have been edited on the topic (Bhagwati and Hanson, 2009; Boeri et al, 2012; Chiswick, 2010;
Ruhs and Anderson, 2010; Triadafilopoulos, 2013). Yet, at present, we lack a special issue on this
topic. This current special issue, bringing together many of the world’s experts on skilled immigration
policy, attempts to fill the gap. In the following introductory article, we briefly set out some of
the major themes for contemporary skilled immigration policy globally, and discuss how these
issues are addressed in the contributions in this Special Issue."