Premium
Divergent Paths of Immigration Politics in the United States and Australia
Author(s) -
Freeman Gary P.,
Birrell Bob
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
population and development review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.836
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1728-4457
pISSN - 0098-7921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1728-4457.2001.00525.x
Subject(s) - immigration , politics , multiculturalism , immigration policy , public opinion , political economy , political science , state (computer science) , public policy , politics of the united states , public administration , sociology , law , algorithm , computer science
The United States and Australia converged by the mid‐1980s on receptive and expan sive immigration policies reflecting “client” politics. Australia has since pursued a more restrictive and selective course while the United States has resisted pressures toward such a stance. The authors account for these differences by assessing the theoretical perspectives of interests, rights, and states. Conflicts among groups with direct interests in policy outcomes are the principal source of immigration politics, but a comparison of the roles of rights and state institutions helps explain peculiarities of the two cases. The distinctive Australian policy trajectory is shaped by greater volatility of public opinion about immigration and multiculturalism, and by political institutions that are more responsive to popular sentiment.