Publication in the Journal of European Public Policy: Differential discrimination among mobile EU-citizens
In Issue 5 (Volume 28) of the Journal of European Public Policy, new research results on the mobility of EU citizens were published. The European research team in which Eva Thomann participates found that Dutch and German-speaking immigrants are positively discriminated against, while Romanian immigrants or immigrants with broken language skills in particular are negatively discriminated against.
Christian Adam, Eva Thomann, Oliver James, Carolin Rapp, Anita Manatschal and Xavier Fernández-i-Marín found that differential discrimination occurs in the context of EU mobility. In an experimental study with administrative staff in Germany, German-speaking immigrants were preferred to Romanian ones. Education, age and language skills also played a role. Middle-aged immigrants were preferred to younger and older ones. Surprisingly, the requests of nurses were processed faster than those of doctors. Further, the study found that the patterns of discrimination were consistent with those in the general population. Accountabiltiy measures employed in the experiment were ineffective in reducing bureaucratic discrimination. The study highlights the challenges involved in EU freedom of movement and associated migration for certain segments of the society for integrating them and ensuring their equal treatment by the state. The implications of such differential discrimination for the immigrants as well as the possibilities to prevent bureaucratic discrimination require more scholarly attention.
Read the full article here.