Identity Politics and the Welfare State

Abstract

Motivated by a deep sense that injustice and inequality are wrong, liberals and reformers in the Western political tradition have focused their energies on policies and programs which seek inclusion: extending the suffrage to those without property; seeking to treat women the same as men, and blacks the same as whites; trying to ensure that as few as possible are excluded from economic opportunity due to lack of resources. Under current conditions, such demands for inclusion take two primary forms, especially in the United States. One is a commitment to using the state to equalize the life chances of individuals. The other is a call for treating groups which have experienced discrimination with full respect. The former leads to the welfare state, while the latter is produced by, and in turn produces, what is commonly called identity politics, the politics of recognition, or the politics of presence.

Immigration Attitudes and Support for the Welfare State in the American Mass Public

“…Scholars have long associated high racial heterogeneity with low support for social welfare in a society (Banting and Kymlicka 2005;Gilens 2003;Habyarimana et al 2007;Hero and Preuhs 2007;Miguel 1999;Miguel and Gugerty 2005;Soss et al 2001;Wolfe and Klausen 1997). One consequence of increasing immigration rates over the past several decades is increasing racial, ethnic, or nationality heterogeneity, particularly as immigrant populations disperse beyond the typical gateway states.…”

“…The bulk of the research in the American states clearly links increasing racial heterogeneity (i.e., increasing black populations) with declining support for welfare programs (Banting and Kymlicka 2005;Gilens 2003;Habyarimana et al 2007;Hero and Preuhs 2007;Miguel 1999;Miguel and Gugerty 2005;Soss et al 2001;Wolfe and Klausen 1997). Using the American experience with race and welfare as a foundation, comparative scholars have begun to examine whether or not the increasing immigrant populations experienced by Europe during the 1990s and 2000s might lead to an erosion of support for welfare programs (Burgoon, Koster, and van Egmond 2010;Eger 2010;Hjerm and Schnabel 2012;Larsen 2011;Mau and Burkhardt 2009;Sumino 2013).…”

Multiculturalism: From Heterogeneities to Social (In)equalities

“…Second, there is a corroding effect: policies of multiculturalism contribute to cultural heterogeneity and thus divide the welfare state. The result is declining solidarity with co-citizens (Wolfe and Klausen 1997). The corroding effect can be substantiated by statistical evidence.…”

“…For example, critics of multiculturalism have referred to 'de-solidarization' as a consequence of multicultural citizenship (e.g. Wolfe and Klausen 1997), while defenders of multiculturalism have maintained that multiculturalism policies have led to increased equalities (Banting and Kymlicka 2006). Given the sweeping claims advanced by both critics and defenders of multiculturalism, it is indeed astonishing,that the bulk of this work shares something in common insofar as it has "largely revolved around normative theory."…”

Les politiques de multiculturalisme nuisent-elles à l’État-providence ?

“…Depuis le milieu des années 1990, un autre argument a fait son chemin : les politiques de multiculturalisme rendraient plus difficile le maintien d'un État-providence fort, en ébranlant la confiance mutuelle et la solidarité des citoyens et en épar-pillant les coalitions qui défendent l'État-providence et le principe de la redistribution. Cette thèse est au coeur de la critique des politiques de multiculturalisme -et des politiques identitaires -formulée par des auteurs comme Barry (2001), Gitlin (1995) et Wolfe et Klausen (1997, 2000.…”