The “Migration and Social Protection in the European Union: Public Policies, Migrant Practices and the Politics of Welfare” IMISCOE Spring Conference will take place from February 27 to March 1 in Liège, Belgium. The IMISCOE board of directors will also meet during this event (closed meeting).
This conference is organized by the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM) of the University of Liège in partnership with the ERC-funded research project ‘Migration and Transnational Social Protection in (post) crisis Europe’ (MiTSoPro). In line with the topical focus of the conference, the event will be held within the conference facilities of the Valdor hospital, located in the neighborhood of Amercoeur in Liège.
The issue of migrants’ access to social protection occupies a central position in European politics. Whether debates concern the future status of mobile EU citizens in post-Brexit Europe or the treatment received by recently-arrived asylum seekers, issues of social protection and migration trigger heated debates and motivate policy reforms across Europe. Against this background, it has been suggested once again that migration poses a challenge for national welfare states and ‘welfare chauvinist’ positions are appearing to gain new momentum among political parties in the EU.
While the organisers would encourage potential participants to submit any proposals related to the topic of migration and social protection in Europe, we would be particularly interested in papers that:
- Identify the challenges to European Welfare systems deriving from both increased EU mobility following the economic crisis and the raising number of asylum seekers who have reached Europe since 2015;
- Discuss the recent debates around national and EU social protection legislation as well as their effects on mobile EU citizens’ livelihoods;
- Analyse cross-border processes allowing for the portability and exportability of welfare entitlements and their impact on the migrants’ ability to access welfare;
- Analyse the effect of rising EU mobility and third-country migration on public opinion and political party positioning on the issue of migration and welfare;
- Identify and conceptualise informal ways of dealing with social risks by migrants with no or limited access to formal social protection systems in destination countries;
- Document empirically and conceptualize the transnationalization of migrants’ social protection strategies to respond to their own needs and/or the needs of relatives in the home country; and/or
- Discuss home country policies, such as diaspora policies, that explicitly attempt to respond to the social protection needs of nationals residing abroad.
Practical information: Paper proposals including a 250-word abstract with title and contact details should be submitted by 30/11/2018 using the following webpage . The conference is free of charge and meals will be provided. Participants are expected to cover for their own travel and lodging expenses.
Contact: Dr. Jean-Michel Lafleur CEDEM
For enquiries: Carole Wenger email: