Labour migration dilemmas. Making policies on low-paid labour migration in Italy, Denmark, and Poland

This paper explores the policymaking dynamics involved in the case of low-paid labour migration in Italy, Denmark, and Poland. In so doing, it outlines how the complexity of a contentious issue plays out in the policies formulated to regulate the entry and residence of foreign workers. By analysing why low-paid immigration has been portrayed as necessary and at the same time as having to be restricted, and how migration policies combine these opposed narratives, this research focuses on the paradoxes of an economic demand for foreign workers, and a societal rejection of immigration. On one hand, the demand for immigrant workers is high, especially in essential sectors such as agriculture, care, construction. On the other hand, recruiting low-paid migrants is a highly contentious topic; in public and political discourse, the commonly held view is that low-skilled migrants are unnecessary, a burden, and a strain for societal cohesion. The intertwining of multiple, contradicting demands is reflected in the policymaking process, which is often estranged from the complexity of the issue at hand, thereby leading to ‘failing’ policies. The questions this research deals with are: • How does the paradox of a needed yet unwanted low-paid immigration unfold in the policymaking process in Italy, Denmark, and Poland? o How do Ideas, Interests and Institutions shape the policymaking process? o How do inter-actor dynamics influence the policymaking process? In order to reflect the complexity intrinsic in the policymaking process on a wicked problem, this work adopts the the 3 I’s approach developed by Palier and Surel, according to which interests, ideas and institutions are adopted as variables to explain policy dynamics. Furthermore, by comparing policy developments in Denmark, Italy and Poland over time, it offers a perspective of how complexity plays out in different contexts. The paper’s contribution is three-fold: • By looking at three countries with distinct migration trajectories over a 20 years’ time span, this paper provides a comparison within and across-cases. It enables reflections on how policymaking dynamics on a complex problem unfold in practice. It sheds light on the distinctive role of labour market institutions in different countries and on how they deal with the ‘needed but unwanted’ dilemma. • By considering the network of state and non-state actors involved in the policymaking process, this research provides nuances on the role and relative power of multiple actors in dealing with complex problems. • By applying the 3 I’s framework to the analysis of policymaking, this research gives space to both agency and institutions, shedding light on how they mutually influence the policymaking of a complex policy issue.