‘They Take Our Houses’: Benefit Competition and the Erosion of Support for Immigrants' Social Rights

Abstract

Does benefit competition affect voters' support for immigrants' social rights? While scholars in political economy expect that benefit competition lowers support among the poor, the evidence is limited. This seems to be largely due to the reliance on highly aggregated analyses and the neglect of the institutional context in which individuals form their preferences. This article argues that lower-income voters are more likely to reduce their support due to competition when benefit eligibility depends on income. Using individual-level panel data from the Netherlands and a novel way to measure benefit competition, the study shows that lower-middle-income voters become less supportive of immigrants' social rights when more social housing in their municipality is allocated to refugees. By contrast, competition does not reduce support among the rich or the very poor. The findings suggest that benefit competition can erode support for immigrants' social rights and influence electoral politics.

Competing for Loyalists? How Party Positioning Affects Populist Radical Right Voting

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Emigration and Radical Right Populism

“…This research has focused on the disruptions caused by immigration, but aside from a few contributions (Anelli and Peri, 2017;Lim, 2022;Patana, 2021) it has neglected the consequences of emigration. Whereas immigration can bolster populist radical right parties through congestion effects and overburdened public services (Cremaschi et al, 2022;Dancygier, 2010;Hooijer, 2021), we show that opposite forces can do the same. The emptying out of regions can produce frustrations of equal importance, with significant political consequences.…”

From Low-Cost Flights to the Ballot Box: How Eastern European Migration Shaped Far-Right Voting in London

“…In terms of pressure on housing, this is likely to be keenly felt in the immediate neighbourhood. Furthermore, this channel is recognised in the literature as a factor in the rise of anti-immigrant parties (e.g., Cavaille and Ferwerda 2018;Hooijer 2021). Work by Dancygier (2010) on West Indian and South Asian migration in Britain, including case studies of two London boroughs, highlights the role of competition for public housing as a trigger for conflict and providing fertile ground for far-right fascist parties in the second half of the previous century.…”