External borders and internal freedoms: how the refugee crisis shaped the bordering preferences of European citizens

Open access
Datum
2021Typ
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliographie
yes
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Abstract
The idea that internal inclusion requires external exclusion features prominently in many theoretical accounts of modern statehood and citizenship. In a similar vein, it has been argued that internal freedom of movement in the European Union requires strict immigration control at its external borders. This article sheds light on the relationship between internal de-bordering and external re-bordering, making two main contributions. First, we theorise the idea of an integration-demarcation conditionality based on the European Union's symbolic legitimacy and functional needs. Second, we test the common belief that public support for free movement within Europe depends on a restrictive border regime for non-European immigration. For this purpose, we assess how the external shock of the 2015 refugee crisis shaped the bordering preferences of European citizens. We find that the crisis primarily increased citizens’ support for external re-bordering, and did not substantially undermine their support for internal free movement. Thus, the large-scale arrival of refugees has not led to a general backlash against open borders and immigration but has, rather, increased public support for the European model of combining internal freedoms with external controls. Mehr anzeigen
Persistenter Link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000495254Publikationsstatus
publishedExterne Links
Zeitschrift / Serie
Journal of European Public PolicyBand
Seiten / Artikelnummer
Verlag
Taylor & FrancisThema
Free movement; European Union; immigration; border control; public opinionETH Bibliographie
yes
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