Social Union, Convergence and Migration

Abstract

The forces of the market and systems competition bring about economic and social convergence in Europe, and there is no need for social policies at the EU level. Social harmonization would distort migration flows and slow down the speed of economic convergence. National welfare states will be threatened by the free migration of people in Europe. The race to the bottom is a serious risk. However, to contain this risk, neither harmonization of welfare payments nor constraints on migration are needed. The adoption of the principle of selectively delayed integration is a better alternative.

EU Enlargement and Turkish Labour Migration

“…If it is reasonable to anticipate substantial return migration, anxiety should diminish. Table 5 The return migration pattern predicted by Sinn and Ochel (2003) fits the reality of past EU migrations. A substantial proportion of South European guest workers, recruited to work in Germany from the late 1950s through to the early 1970s, have returned to their home country.…”

A Continent Moving West? EU Enlargement and Labour Migration from Central and Eastern Europe

“…They argue that unrestricted intra-EU migration would lead to diminution of the welfare state (Sinn & Ochel 2003). The scholars pointed out that provisions included in the Constitutional Treaty could guarantee the constitutional right of every EU citizen to welfare migration.…”

“…This change could be the most significant in countries receiving a disproportionate share of migrants and with the most generous welfare states. In addition, Sinn and Ochel (2003) noted that east-west migration could trigger frustration about the 'too protective' welfare state. This assumption is confirmed by Alesina and Ferrara (2004) who, by application of empirical findings on the less generous US welfare state to the EU case, claimed that 'if Europeans from the middle-class come to believe that a high proportion of the poor consists of recent immigrants, this will erode their entrenched confidence in the virtues of the welfare state' (cited after Ederveen 2005: 53).…”

Mehr institutioneller Wettbewerb in Deutschland -Wirksame Hilfe für die neuen Bundesländer

“…Huber und Lichtblau (1998); OECD (1998), S. 98 oder Huber (1998) Vgl. Barro und Sala-i-Martin (1995) sowie Sinn und Ochel (2003) zu weltweit und in Europa beobachteten Konvergenzraten. Diese liegen deutlich unter der Konvergenzgeschwindigkeit Irlands, das von den ungewöhn-lich günstigen wirtschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen profitierte.…”