Edward Elgar Publishing Welfare Chauvinism in Europe: How Education, Economy and Culture Shape Public Attitudes

The redistribution of welfare resources to migrants continues to polarise society. Not only politicians from the radical right but also from more mainstream parties are capitalising on the idea of ‘welfare for our kind’, or welfare chauvinism. In this innovative book, Gianna Maria Eick provides a comprehensive analysis of welfare chauvinism in Europe, skilfully exploring how it is shaped by education, economy and culture. Constructing an extensive overview of welfare chauvinism’s causes and consequences, Welfare Chauvinism in Europe sheds light on the multidimensionality of welfare chauvinist attitudes across countries, time, social policies, and different migrant groups. Eick unveils hidden nuances regarding welfare chauvinism that are frequently overlooked in current discourse, particularly concerning socioeconomic cleavages in Europe. Using high-quality data on public attitudes and macro-level conditions, this thought-provoking book investigates the common misperception that higher levels of education universally lead to more tolerant attitudes and argues that governments and welfare institutions play a crucial role in shaping public opinion. Providing an in-depth exploration of welfare chauvinism, this timely book is a crucial resource for academics, researchers and students working across social policy, political science, sociology, social work, geography, economics and law. Its analysis of novel cross-national survey data on welfare chauvinism is also of significant intere – Martin Ruhs, European University Institust to policy makers and policy practitioners across the globe.