ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the tension that may emerge between international migration and welfare states, drawing upon conceptual tools from political economy, the citizenship discourse and institutional theory. It presents central theoretical approaches to the study of the relationship between migration and welfare states. The chapter addresses the huge diversity of European welfare states and points to their varying capacity and vulnerabilities in coping with high immigration. It describes the European Union regime conditioning national immigration and welfare policies. The chapter discusses the political dilemmas and conflicts arising in this area using Scandinavian experiences to illustrate the challenges facing affluent, encompassing welfare states faced with high immigration from poorer countries. It presupposes the attractiveness of advanced European welfare states for migrants, without specifying or discussing how and to what extent the influences flows as compared to other determinants. Different typologies have been developed to categorize the diversity of welfare and labour regimes in Europe.
