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According to the theory of group-threat, economic downturns in the host society trigger negative attitudes towards immigration and immigrants due to perceived competition for scarce resources. While access to public services such as health care or education contributes to immigrants¿ successful integration into host societies, this may cause critical viewpoints to arise. The risk exists that natives perceive governments to unfairly favor immigrants ¿ a remarkably common situation across Europe, as data from the ESS suggest ¿ and extreme-right populist parties may take advantage of it. This paper aims to explore the dilemma and contradictions of immigrants¿ access to social rights by focusing on the Spanish case, a traditionally welcoming society which was hit by an extraordinarily severe economic crisis. Subsequent austerity programs left the social protection system underfunded, and a populist right-wing party has recently emerged (Vox). However, in defiance of group-threat theory, no manifest wave of anti-immigrant sentiment has arisen in this unpromising context. The paper draws on survey data and focus group results, both of which were generated in the framework of an ongoing research project on immigration attitudes (proj. ref. CSO2017-87364-R, financed by the European Fund for Regional Cohesion and the Spanish Ministry of Science). Firstly, the extent and nature of natives¿ perceptions of unfair treatment is illustrated. Then, we explore the role of such perceptions as predictor of unwelcoming immigration attitudes, or indeed anti-immigrant sentiment. Thirdly, we analyze the discourse emerging from such perceptions in focus groups deliberations. Finally, we formulate some evidence-based suggestions for policy-makers.

Smooth access to public services such as health care, education, and social benefits programs contributes substantially to immigrants¿ successful integration into host societies. However, such integration policies entail political risks whenever natives perceive governments to unfairly favor immigrants ¿ a common situation across Europe, as data from the European Social Survey suggest. Such perceptions may contribute decisively to anti-immigration attitudes and are prone to be seized upon by immigrant-bashing populists. Thus, this policy domain exemplifies the close interrelation of immigration governance and immigration politics. This paper aims to explore the dilemmas and contradictions of immigrants¿ access to social rights by focusing on the Spanish immigration regime, which bears a remarkable degree of allegiance to Universalist principles. The paper draws on survey data and focus group results that were generated in the framework of an ongoing research project on immigration attitudes (ref. CSO2017-87364-R, financed by the European Fund for Regional Cohesion and the Spanish Ministry of Science). In a first step, we illustrate the extent and nature of natives¿ perceptions of being treated unfairly by comparison to immigrants. Secondly, we explore the role of such perceptions as predictor of unwelcoming immigration attitudes, or indeed anti-immigrant sentiment. Finally, we formulate some evidence-based suggestions for policy-makers. https://www.imiscoe.org/conference/sessions?search=1&pid[]=917

This analysis examines Spanish public opinion on immigration in recent years based on a number of surveys, the most recent from 2020. There has been a slight increase in negative attitudes towards immigration, although it is not clear to what extent this shift can be attributed to the institutional presence of VOX, or else to events like the COVID19 pandemic and irregular immigration to the Canary Islands. However, the impact of the emergence of VOX as a political force is noticeable in terms of increasing ideological polarisation in Spain, a situation that hinders rational debate on immigration and how to manage it

Quantitative studies on attitudes towards immigration and immigrants are known to be affected by social desirability bias (SDB), i. e. , the divergence of stated from true scores due to concerns about the image cast when manifesting unfavorable views. In contrast, qualitative research methods and, specifically, focus groups are widely assumed to be less prone to such distortions; however, there are hardly any studies re- garding this issue on migration-related attitudes. Arguably, this lacuna stems from the difficulty of discern- ing true statements from dishonest ones, or even detecting silenced viewpoints (¿bitten tongues¿). This paper relies on nine focus groups fielded in March 2019 in Spain in the framework of a government-finan- ced research project (CSO2017-87364-R). Albeit many participants voiced discontent about the deteriora- tion of living standards, working conditions and public services -in the latter case, even including grievan- ces about what they perceived as immigrants¿ preferential treatment-, blame was placed on entrepreneurs and politicians. Yet, can we trust these statements to reflect actual attitudes? Our hermeneutical strategy leverages a peculiarity of our empirical material: the accidental participation of persons with immigrant background in two of these focus groups enables us to compare the ensuing group dynamics with so- 158 Program online conference - 2020 cio-structurally similar natives-only reunions. Also, we pay attention to ambivalences between participants¿ statements at different points, seeking to trace their relation with ¿politically correct¿ admonitions, and to complaints about censorship of immigration-related criticism. We conclude that, despite the impossibility of external validation, there is scope for detecting SDB in focus groups on natives¿ views of immigration and immigrants.

To minimize coverage and participation biases, this web survey adopted two complementary sampling strategies: (a) SMS invitations to random-number mobile phones, and (b) Internet advertisements targeting specific sociodemographic groups. This combination of aleatory selection from a rather comprehensive sampling frame, on one hand, and responsive definition of target profiles, on the other, largely succeeded in adjusting the sample to relevant population parameters, albeit with the noteworthy exception of education level., Survey Research Methods, Vol 14 No 2 (2020): Survey Research Methods During the COVID-19 Crisis

La crisis económica supone un severo desafío para los plurifacéticos procesos de integración social de los inmigrantes. En este artículo se utiliza un novedoso sistema de indicadores para discernir avances y retrocesos de la integración durante el primer tramo de la crisis (2007-2010/11). Como era de esperar, el declive del mercado laboral afectó más a la población extranjera que la española, y su bienestar material también empeoró en mayor medida. Sin embargo, otros ámbitos se resistieron a esa trayectoria a la baja: la situación administrativa de los inmigrantes mejoró apreciablemente y la calidad de sus relaciones sociales se mantuvo estable. Este hallazgo evidencia un notable grado de independencia relativa de los procesos de integración en distintos ámbitos. The economic crisis poses a serious challenge to the manifold processes of immigrants' social integration. In this article, we use an innovative system of indicators to discern the advances and setbacks made in integration in Spain during the first part of the crisis (2007-2010/11). As was to be expected, the labour market downturn hit foreign workers harder than Spaniards, and the material wellbeing of immigrants was also more adversely affected. However, other fields were resistant to this downward trend: immigrants' administrative situation appreciably improved and the quality of their social relations remained stable. This finding shows the notable degree of independence of integration processes in distinct domains.

In industrialized countries, HIV/AIDS is now increasingly perceived as a chronic condition. Yet initially, before combination therapy became available, this pandemic was widely associated with premature or even imminent death. Receiving the diagnosis typically led to a dramatic biographical disruption. This highly original book turns this basic feature of life with [UV into the vantage point for a fascinating analysis of Western subjectivity. Combining a host of empirical observations with the debate on the modern self, the author argues that the self-construction of people with HIV highlights the precarious yet indispensable status of the self in contemporary Western society. Constructing one's biography in terms of self-actualization is in fact a manifestation of nihilism: it evokes a standard of certainty which, on closer examination, cannot be sustained. Written in a lucid style, this unique book will appeal to scholars and students in the fields of sociology, social psychology social anthropology social theory and philosophy, as well, as anybody interested in the relationship between the self and society or the experience of living with HIV/A1RS. --Preface ix --1. HIV and the self 1 --2. The problem of finitude 19 --3. Observing selves .35 --4. The "diagnosis of the self' 56 --5. From invalidation to reinforcement 93 --6. Seeking shelter amongst peers 113 --7. Contrasting patterns .136 --8. Mortal, all too mortal 161 --9. Thinking of finitude 180 --10. HIV, mortality and the self 204 --Appendix 217 --Bibliography 219 --Index 233 Published version of EUI PhD thesis, 1997

Digitised version produced by the EUI Library and made available online in 2020.

Defence date: 27 June 1996 Examining Board: Prof. Alois Hahn, Universität Trier ; Prof. Alessandro Pizzorno, Supervisor ; Prof. Paul Rabinow, University of California at Berkeley ; Prof. Chiara Saraceno, Università degli Studi di Torino ; Prof. Arpad Szakolczai, EUI, Co-supervisor PDF of thesis uploaded from the Library digitised archive of EUI PhD theses completed between 2013 and 2017