ABSTRACT
At their core, studies of the welfare state and international migration are concerned with social processes rooted in inequality. Welfare state scholars often examine the political responses to class-based inequalities within societies, while international migration scholars study how migrants cross borders that demarcate globally unequal regions. Both literatures have also recently shared a focus on globalization and increased economic and technological connectedness. With this chapter, I trace some areas of overlap between the two literatures, outline central debates on diversity and social cohesion, and suggest new avenues to extend research on welfare and immigration. Identifying the historical role of an emergent and then eventually widespread global capitalism and capitalist ties may provide a thread that unites the antecedents of both welfare systems and international migratory movements. I argue that it is also important to recognize the limitations of problematizing diversity without considering mainstream reactions to diversity. In sum, extensions focused on globalizing forces and racial and ethnic boundaries could prove especially productive for future research in these areas of scholarship.
