Trust beyond borders : immigration, the welfare state, and identity in modern societies / Markus M.L. Crepaz ; with a foreword by Arend Lijphart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Crepaz, Markus M. L., 1959-

Series:

Contemporary political and social issues

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Welfare state.

Emigration and immigration--Government policy.

Emigration and immigration.

Ethnicity--Economic aspects.

Ethnicity.

Physical Description:

xix, 301 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, [2008]

Summary:

Will immigration undermine the welfare state? Trust beyond Borders draws on public opinion data and case studies of Germany, Sweden, and the United States to document the influence of immigration and diversity on trust, reciprocity, and public support for welfare programs. Markus M. L. Crepaz demonstrates that we are, at least in some cases, capable of trusting beyond borders: of expressing faith in our fellow humans and extending help without regard for political classifications.

In Europe, the welfare state developed under conditions of relative homogeneity that fostered high levels of trust among citizens, while in America anxiety about immigration and diversity predated the emergence of a social safety net. Looking at our new era of global migration, Crepaz traces the renewed debate about "us" versus "them" on both sides of the Atlantic and asks how it will affect the public commitment to social welfare. Drawing on the literatures on immigration, identity, social trust, and the welfare state, Trust beyond Borders presents a novel analysis of immigration's challenge to the welfare state and a persuasive exploration of the policies that may yet preserve it.

Contents:

A primordial challenge to the welfare state?

The politics of resentment : xenophobia and the welfare state

Trust in diverse societies

Welfare state regimes as a regime for building trust? : contextualizing attitudes

To belong or not to belong : incorporation and integration policies in modern welfare states

The politics of immigration and the welfare state in Germany, Sweden, and the United States.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 275-292) and index.

ISBN:

9780472099764

0472099760

9780472069767

0472069764

OCLC:

86115664