Irish Migration and Citizenship Policies (original) (raw)
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2011
This thesis was made possible through funding for a year from the Dublin City University Migration and Integration Programme (sponsored by the DCU President's office); and subsequently through an Irish Research Council for the Humanities and the Social Sciences (IRCHSS) Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship award. These provided the financial support necessary to undertake the research and to sustain the dedication required to get it to the point of completion. I am also deeply indebted to the supportive research environment and opportunities for teaching experience provided by the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University. Here, my biggest debt is owed to the patient, probing and insightful supervision of Professor Ronaldo Munck and Dr. Ken McDonagh. Over the past three and a half years they have tirelessly read and re-read drafts of chapters, working papers and articles through which I have attempted to tease out all the issues which are explored in this thesis, as well as many many more. Their unrelenting support and generous giving of their time has been invaluable to this thesis and to the other work which I have produced in the past three and a half years. I am immeasurably grateful for everything they have done. At various stages over the past three and a half years-particularly at the beginning and end stages-this thesis has benefited from discussions with many other people. Most notably,
High demand, cheap supply: Irish immigration policies and the role of the state (1992–2007)
One factor which contributed to Ireland’s economic growth during the ‘Celtic Tiger’ era was access to a cheap flexible labour supply. The Irish state played a central role in facilitating and shaping this labour supply, through its formulation of immigration policies and its role in influencing labour market structure, thereby influencing the nature of the workers who entered the Irish labour market. Placing the analysis of Irish immigration policy within the unfolding global systems of flows of people and capital prevents the classification of Ireland, or any country, as a unique experience. Economically driven moves by the Irish state, specifically in terms of labour supply, are evident in the recruitment drives supported through the Celtic Tiger and with the expansion of the European Union in 2004. This paper outlines how Ireland’s immigration policy during the Celtic Tiger shaped the labour market by determining which workers did what jobs. It also discusses the nature of the Irish state and how this contributes to immigration policy outcomes.
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Until relatively recently, research on migration to the Republic of Ireland has been limited to a handful of texts. As immigration into Ireland has increased over the last decade, so has the volume of published research exploring this phenomenon, with a significant increase in the number of published research reports, policy studies and submissions, conference proceedings, monographs, academic papers, book chapters and theses. However the piecemeal and often ad hoc nature of the growth of this bibliography presents specific problems for both researchers and participants. This paper draws together a comprehensive (though not exhaustive) bibliography of research into immigration in Ireland. The bibliography is organised into a typology of research on migration into Ireland by considering the existing corpus of work under nine headings. The paper concludes by highlighting the potential contribution that human geography can offer to our understandings of the processes and dimensions of migration to twentyfirst century Ireland.
The Re-Emergence of Emigration from Ireland: New Trends in an Old Story
No country in Europe has been as affected by emigration over the past two centuries as Ireland. Beginning with the exodus of 1.25 million people during the Great Irish Famine, large-scale emigration has become a fact of life. Two surges of 20th-century emigration—first in the 1950s, when the country lost nearly 15 percent of its population, and then again in the 1980s—seemed to be reversed by a period of unprecedented economic growth from the early 1990s to 2007, as the country welcomed a large number of immigrants. However, in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the number of people leaving Ireland more than tripled between 2008 and 2012—placing emigration in the public and political spotlight once again. Today’s flows differ significantly from those of the past in that a significant percentage of those leaving are immigrants returning home or migrating elsewhere. In previous decades, the vast majority of emigrants were Irish citizens. Another point of contrast is that, today, most Irish emigrants are well educated. While this in part reflects the improved educational attainment of the country as a whole, new data indicate that university graduates are overrepresented among those leaving—62 percent of recent emigrants of the 25-34 age cohort, versus 47 percent of the same cohort of the population, lending some credence to worries about “brain drain.” Ireland’s unprecedented financial downturn in the wake of the global recession—real gross national product (GNP) declined by more than 10 percent, and unemployment and underemployment combined to reach 23 percent—provided a significant impetus for people to leave. This was especially true for workers in sectors such as construction, which was decimated by the recession. Underemployment and lack of job satisfaction also spurred many people to leave. Nearly 50 percent of recent emigrants were in fact employed in full-time jobs before leaving (and another 13 percent employed part time), but some reported being unsatisfied with their long-term career prospects (or those of their spouse) or were employed on temporary contracts and lacked certainty about the future. Some simply found better opportunities abroad; this was especially true for information technology (IT) and health professionals with skills in demand in other countries. While the United Kingdom is still the single most popular destination for Irish emigrants, the majority of those leaving are going to non-European destinations (namely Australia, the United States, Canada, and New Zealand—alongside emerging destinations in the Gulf States ). However, since most of those traveling to destinations outside Europe are on temporary permits, it remains to be seen whether this trend is sustainable. The burning political question is: how can the state ensure that many of these emigrants will return to Ireland? The booming economic growth of the years 1995 to 2007—when Ireland was referred to as the “Celtic Tiger”—enticed many emigrants from the 1980s to return. Economic growth, it is clear, is a key factor in attracting emigrants home. But it is unlikely that Ireland will go through another comparable cycle of growth in the near future, considering the long-lasting effects that recessions can have on domestic economies as hard-hit as Ireland’s, not to mention the consequences of persisting bank debt. A more attainable goal is a stable economy characterized by low unemployment and sustained growth. Of course, this will not guarantee that all emigrants will return; more attractive options may exist elsewhere, and some emigrants may have put down roots in their adopted homes. But perhaps Ireland can still benefit from the expertise of its citizens abroad. A global diaspora is both a potential resource and an important obligation. The relationship is two sided. If Ireland is to utilize the skills of Irish abroad, it needs to provide something in return. One way is to allow the Irish abroad to have a voice in domestic political and social debates through certain voting entitlements, which would nurture their connection with (and voice in) their country of origin. But in order to benefit from its citizens abroad, the Irish government must first develop a more accurate understanding of who these people are and what motivates them. Establishing a census of Irish emigrants overseas—capturing the numbers, destinations, and skills of those abroad—could be a first step to building more durable links between Ireland and its overseas citizens.