IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/hhs/sulcis/2012_004.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Is There Really a Backlash Against Multiculturalism Policies?

Author

Listed:
  • Banting , Keith

    (Queens University School of Policy Studies)

  • Kymlicka, Will

    (Queens University Department of Philosophy)

Abstract

In much of the western world, and particularly in Europe, there is a widespread perception that multiculturalism has ‘failed’ and that governments who once embraced a multicultural approach to diversity are turning away, adopting a strong emphasis on civic integration. This reaction, we are told, “reflects a seismic shift not just in the Netherlands, but in other European countries as well” (JOPPKE 2007). This paper challenges this view. Drawing on an updated version of the Multiculturalism Policy Index introduced earlier (BANTING and KYMLICKA 2006), the paper presents an index of the strength of multicultural policies for European countries and several traditional countries of immigration at three points in time (1980, 2000 and 2010). The results paint a different picture of contemporary experience in Europe. While a small number of countries, including most notably the Netherlands, have weakened established multicultural policies during the 2000s, such a shift is the exception. Most countries that adopted multicultural approaches in the later part of the twentieth century have maintained their programs in the first decade of the new century; and a significant number of countries have added new ones. In much of Europe, multicultural policies are not in general retreat. As a result, the turn to civic integration is often being layered on top of existing multicultural programs, leading to a blended approach to diversity. The paper reflects on the compatibility of multiculturalism policies and civic integration, arguing that more liberal forms of civic integration can be combined with multiculturalism but that more illiberal or coercive forms are incompatible with a multicultural approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Banting , Keith & Kymlicka, Will, 2012. "Is There Really a Backlash Against Multiculturalism Policies?," SULCIS Working Papers 2012:4, Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sulcis:2012_004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.su.se/polopoly_fs/1.103206.1349356509!/menu/standard/file/SULCIS_WP2012_4.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hacker, Jacob S., 2004. "Privatizing Risk without Privatizing the Welfare State: The Hidden Politics of Social Policy Retrenchment in the United States," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 98(2), pages 243-260, May.
    2. Thelen,Kathleen, 2004. "How Institutions Evolve," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521546744, October.
    3. Thelen,Kathleen, 2004. "How Institutions Evolve," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521837682, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ilana Shpaizman, 2020. "The end–means nexus and policy conversion: evidence from two cases in Israeli immigrant integration policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 53(4), pages 713-733, December.
    2. Michael Howlett & Ishani Mukherjee, 2014. "Policy Design and Non-Design: Towards a Spectrum of Policy Formulation Types," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 2(2), pages 57-71.
    3. Daniel Béland & John Myles, 2008. "Policy Change in the Canadian Welfare State: Comparing the Canada Pension Plan and Unemployment Insurance," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 235, McMaster University.
    4. Kristina Babich & Daniel Béland, 2007. "Creating the Canada/Quebec Pension Plans: An Historical and Political Analysis," Social and Economic Dimensions of an Aging Population Research Papers 223, McMaster University.
    5. Karen S Palmer & Adalsteinn D Brown & Jenna M Evans & Husayn Marani & Kirstie K Russell & Danielle Martin & Noah M Ivers, 2018. "Qualitative analysis of the dynamics of policy design and implementation in hospital funding reform," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(1), pages 1-18, January.
    6. Denyer Willis, Graham & Mota Prado, Mariana, 2014. "Process and Pattern in Institutional Reforms: A Case Study of the Police Pacifying Units (UPPs) in Brazil," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 232-242.
    7. Ron Martin, 2010. "Roepke Lecture in Economic Geography—Rethinking Regional Path Dependence: Beyond Lock-in to Evolution," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 86(1), pages 1-27, January.
    8. Pierson, Paul, 2011. "The welfare state over the very long run," Working papers of the ZeS 02/2011, University of Bremen, Centre for Social Policy Research (ZeS).
    9. Huo, Jingjing, 2015. "How Nations Innovate: The Political Economy of Technological Innovation in Affluent Capitalist Economies," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198735847.
    10. Eric Schickler, 2020. "Causal inference and American political development: common challenges and opportunities," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 185(3), pages 501-511, December.
    11. Bertens, R.M. & Vonk, R.A.A., 2020. "Small steps, big change. Forging a public-private health insurance system in the Netherlands," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    12. Maria Petmesidou & Periklis Polyzoidis, 2015. "What Policy Innovation For Youth in the Era of Prolonged Austerity? The Case of Greece," Cyprus Economic Policy Review, University of Cyprus, Economics Research Centre, vol. 9(2), pages 35-77, December.
    13. Jeroen Van Der Heijden, 2010. "A short history of studying incremental institutional change: Does Explaining Institutional Change provide any new explanations?," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 4(2), pages 230-243, June.
    14. Ciqi Mei & Zhilin Liu, 2014. "Experiment-based policy making or conscious policy design? The case of urban housing reform in China," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 47(3), pages 321-337, September.
    15. Claes Belfrage & Magnus Ryner, 2009. "Renegotiating the Swedish Social Democratic Settlement: From Pension Fund Socialism to Neoliberalization," Politics & Society, , vol. 37(2), pages 257-287, June.
    16. van Oijen, Jacqueline C.F. & Grit, Kor J. & van de Bovenkamp, Hester M. & Bal, Roland A., 2017. "Effects of EU harmonization policies on national public supervision of clinical trials: A dynamic cycle of institutional change and institutional work," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 121(9), pages 971-977.
    17. Eichhorst, Werner & Marx, Paul, 2009. "Reforming German Labor Market Institutions: A Dual Path to Flexibility," IZA Discussion Papers 4100, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Коршунов И. А. & Гапонова О. С., 2017. "Непрерывное Образование Взрослых В Контексте Экономического Развития И Качества Государственного Управления," Вопросы образования // Educational Studies Moscow, National Research University Higher School of Economics, issue 4, pages 36-59.
    19. Paul Ryan & Howard Gospel & Paul Lewis, 2007. "Large Employers and Apprenticeship Training in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 45(1), pages 127-153, March.
    20. Anke Hassel, 2014. "Adjustments in the Eurozone: Varieties of Capitalism and the Crisis in Southern Europe," Europe in Question Discussion Paper Series of the London School of Economics (LEQs) 6, London School of Economics / European Institute.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Multiculturalism; immigration; civic integration; citizenship;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:hhs:sulcis:2012_004. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Eskil Wadensjö (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lcisuse.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.