Political and Institutional Frames on Spousal Migration

Abstract

In the first chapter, different theories regarding migration policy-making in post-war European liberal democracies were explored. Driven by the puzzle of large-scale admission of migrants despite an assumed public and political bent for closure, scholars have searched extensively for answers to “why liberal states accept unwanted migration” (Joppke 1998a). Despite different emphases on the specific institutional and political mechanisms, one of the main factors identified by various authors are liberal states’ commitments to individual rights.