Welfare state foundations of immigrant intergration policy

Based on the data of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) this master thesis aims at analysing the extent to which Western European integration policies diverge with regard to inclusion and exclusion. Furthermore, the analysis shows whether different welfare systems may influence the configuration of integration policy. The main hypothesis suggests that countries with larger welfare programmes pursue inclusive approaches of integration policy in order to promote solidarity and support for redistribution. For scrutinising MIPEX data quantitative methods of comparing average scores and standard deviations and cluster analysis are applied. Via bivariate data analysis these are then being compared with OECD Social Expenditure Database (SOCX) indicators and welfare system typologies. While national integration policies clearly diverge in their inclusiveness and the simple size of welfare programmes does not show a clear correlation, welfare system types may explain the configuration of integration policies: Social-democratic welfare systems tend to have inclusive policies, while Liberal welfare systems tend to have exclusive polices. Conservative and Southern welfare systems are in-between, but show a tendency of becoming inclusive over time. Thus, different objectives of welfare systems might affect integration policy, but the welfare system size might not...Read more