Critical political economy and the free movement of people in the EU

This chapter considers orthodox and critical political economy (CPE) approaches to the free movement of people in the EU. In a first step, it argues that an orthodox EU studies has, in accordance with a mainstream integration theory, tended to regard the free movement of people as part of the progressive cosmopolitan unfolding of the European project. In a second step the chapter describes how a CPE approach has rejected this orthodox story of integration and the associated narrative on free movement. In relation to free movement in particular, it is a trade-off between open immigration regimes on the one hand, and national labour and welfare rights on the other. In conclusion, it is argued that a CPE critique of the contemporary EU is extremely important, but it need not extend to the 'fourth freedom', the free movement of people.