In several European countries, access to citizenship via naturalisation is conditional upon the payment of substantial fees or upon proof of a certain degree of economic self-sufficiency. Thus, if not acquired by birth, citizenship as political membership depends on the economic performance of an individual. In this article, economic criteria for naturalisation (income, employment, welfare benefit requirements and naturalisation fees) were scrutinised in nine EU countries (Austria,

Despite similar experiences of immigration, the proportion of immigrants taking up the citizenship of their country of residence varies substantially in Western European countries. While previous research concluded that citizenship policies in general are relevant for explaining these differences, this paper provides a fine-grained analysis of which policy dimensions bear greater or lesser importance for naturalisation outcomes. Drawing on citizenship policy data from nine EU countries for the period 1995 to 2014 and using time-series cross-section regression models, the study identifies economic requirements, ius soli, and dual citizenship provisions as main drivers for differences in naturalisation rates.

Waren politische Debatten zur Integration von MigrantInnen lange Zeit durch einen Fokus auf Kultur und Werte gekennzeichnet, gewinnen „leistungsorientierte“ Zugänge zunehmend an Relevanz. Die österreichische Integrationspolitik nach der Einführung eines Staatssekretariats für Integration (2011-2013) zeigt anschaulich, wie ein solcher Zugang zum Leitprinzip einer Regierungspolitik werden kann. Der Beitrag geht dem Ansatz „Integration durch Leistung“ in einer Analyse von Rhetorik und Policy nach. Er untersucht einerseits das Leistungsnarrativ und sein Verhältnis zum bisherigen Integrationsdiskurs und stellt aufbauend darauf dar, ob bzw. wie diese diskursive Neuausrichtung in Policies übersetzt wurde. Dabei zeigt sich, dass sich der Ansatz zentral auf traditionelle Leistungskriterien der Arbeitsmarkt- und Bildungspolitik stützt, darüber hinaus aber nur partielle Erweiterungen des Leistungsbegriffs beinhaltet. Diese Gegenüberstellung erlaubt schließlich, immanente Ambivalenzen eines Leistungskonzeptes für die Integration von MigrantInnen aber auch seine Inklusions- und Exklusionspotentiale zu diskutieren.

No abstract

No abstract

In this introduction to the special issue, we present the general lines of particularistic tendencies in citizenship policies in Europe. Norms that establish special treatments for specific groups of people are increasingly important in the citizenship laws of European countries, but remain understudied in literature. We summarize the development of comparative citizenship legislation research in Europe and the social relevance of formal citizenship in contemporary societies, in order to contextualize the significance of particularistic tendencies in this field. We further underline how different definitions of 'Europe' (European Union, Council of Europe, Schengen Area, specific regional groupings of countries) are relevant for the study of citizenship legislation. Finally, we introduce the articles of the special issue.

Contemporary European societies are shaped by ongoing disputes about how to draw boundaries of membership and about the proper means of democratic inclusion. Who -which groups and individuals -should have a voice in the political system and access to resources? How can these actors achieve an equal standing in democratic societies? Sieglinde Rosenberger has contributed important points to these questions and continues to do so: With an emphasis on the Austrian political system in the context of European Integration, she combined research on gender, migration, religion and political participation into a common framework of "Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion". On the occasion of her 60th birthday, this special issue aims to review the Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion, providing both normative and empirical perspectives.

No abstract