Social and cultural diversity is considered one of the “four major challenges” in Europe, as outlined in several European Commission work programs. Indeed, over the past decade immigration and diversity have become central topics in European politics and social debates. The recent wars in Ukraine and before that in Syria, which have driven many refugees to settle in Europe, have only made the topic more pertinent. Immigrants’ reception and integration in host countries is a central aspect of these broader debates. Relatedly, states’ response to immigration and growing diversity has the potential to shift states’ existing political and institutional structures. DiverseJust is an interdisciplinary study that contributes to these debates in the context of the welfare state.
DiverseJust focuses on Denmark as a representative case of the Social Democratic welfare model. The study explores (a) the impact that increased diversity has on the Danish welfare system, especially for immigrants; and (b) the impact that increased diversity has on the Danish criminal justice system. Ultimately, this study seeks to explain (c) how Denmark, a classic Scandinavian welfare state, changes in response to the challenges of increased cultural diversity, and the impact these changes have on the broader population as well as on immigrant populations.
While this study focuses on Denmark as a case study, its finding are relevant more broadly to understanding the impact of immigration on European welfare states. Theoretically, this project intervenes in the debate on the future of the welfare state, and shows that it is critical to examine welfare policies alongside criminal justice policies in order to fully explain states’ reaction to immigration. The study shows how both policy realms are intimately connected both discursively and in practice. Therefore, in order to evaluate whether welfare states preserve their rehabilitative, redistributive and inclusive logic when faced with diversity, we need to direct our attention to legislation on ‘classic’ welfare issues as well as to criminal justice policies.
Moreover, scholars have long argued whether antagonism towards immigration might lead to a shrinking of the welfare state, or, as others suggested, publics’ support for welfare institutions is strong and does not wane in the face of immigration. Those who propose that support for the welfare state would not wane, suggest that anti-immigrants sentiments might lead instead to ‘welfare chauvinism’ that restricts access to welfare benefits and ‘penal nationalism’ that reserve harsher treatment to minority populations. This project provides a strong empirical support to the theoretical hypothesis that argues the latter. DiverseJust shows that growing diversity in Denmark has led to both ‘welfare chauvinism’ and ‘penal nationalism’ that selectively target and exclude immigrant populations. Moreover, the study shows that anxieties about the solvency and integrity of the welfare state is what drives and justifies the construction of a two-tiered welfare and criminal justice systems in Denmark. Concerns about immigrants’ participation in crime is surprisingly secondary to all policy debates, including those that pertain to legal changes of the penal code.
This counter-intuitive finding illustrates the ongoing centrality of welfare institutions in contemporary political debates, thus indicating the welfare state’s strength and resilience in Denmark. It also shows that state mechanisms to exclude immigrants from welfare benefits, as well as attempts to create a dual-penal scheme, in which minorities are subjected to harsher treatment, are discursively achieved by appealing to the public’s sympathy and support for a strong welfare system. Thus, instead of antagonizing populations to the idea of a strong and generous welfare state, current debates draw on the broad support that welfare state’s institutions enjoy, and use it to justify more punitive and restrictive welfare and criminal policies towards “outsider” populations. As Europe has become more diverse, and is likely to continue to receive future waves of refugees and immigrants, it is important to understand the mechanism of exclusion that have been used thus far, in order to effectively overcome them and thus achieve greater integration and inclusion of Europe’s growing population. This study contributes to this effort.
