The varieties of high-skilled immigration policies: coalitions and policy outputs in advanced industrial countries

Abstract

This paper presents a comparative political economy theoretical framework of high-skilled immigration (HSI) policies in advanced industrial countries. It seeks to explain the differences between countries' policies in terms of HSI openness. I take from the traditional partisanship approach that political parties will pursue policies consistent with the preferences of their major constituencies. I have divided labour and capital into high- and low-skilled sectors. I argue that, despite converging policy goals for more open HSI in order to fill labour market shortages, there continue to be differences between countries' HSI policies. No consistent HSI position between left and right parties exists cross-nationally because different coalitions between sectors of high-skilled labour, low-skilled labour and capital take place. I analyse more open or restrictive HSI outputs by portraying actors' preferences, aggregated in coalitions and intermediated by institutional constraints (labour market organization and electoral system) across advanced industrial countries.