Papers by Maricia Fischer-Souan
Journal of contemporary European studies, Feb 8, 2024
Socio-economic Review, Aug 5, 2022
In the aftermath of the Euro debt crisis, negative stereotypes about Southern Europeans were (re)... more In the aftermath of the Euro debt crisis, negative stereotypes about Southern Europeans were (re)activated across Northern European countries. Because these stereotypes make explicit reference to productivity-relevant traits, they have the potential to influence employers' hiring decisions. We draw on a sub-sample of the Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration and Markets discrimination study (GEMM) to investigate the responses of over 3500 firms based in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway to identical (fictitious) young applicants born to Greek, Spanish, Italian and native-born parents. Using French descendants as a placebo treatment and sub-Saharan African descendants as a benchmark treatment, we find severe levels of hiring discrimination against Southern European descendants in both Norway and the Netherlands, but not in Germany. Discrimination in Norway seems largely driven by employers' preferences for applicants of native descent, while in the Netherlands discrimination seems specifically targeted against Greek and Spanish descendants. Dutch employers' propensity to penalize these two groups seems driven by information deficits.
Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of... more Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of the transformative processes in present-day Europe is the mobility of human capital. One of the major challenges continuously facing the EU is how best to manage labour migration in the context of population ageing and global competition for skills (OECD/EU, 2016). In order for the process to serve as an invigorating factor both for the economies in the region and for the quality of work and life of European citizens and residents we need to have the evidence of migrants’ expectations, experiences and aspirations for the future. In this report we present results from the comparative analysis conducted within the framework of WP4 ‘The lived experiences of migration’ of the GEMM Project (D4.3).
MONDI MIGRANTI, 2019
This paper explores Italian and Spanish migrants' experiences and imaginaries of home cou... more This paper explores Italian and Spanish migrants' experiences and imaginaries of home country labour markets as part of their motivations to migrate during the economic crisis. It argues that precarious employment conditions and images of dysfunctional labour markets drive them to leave Italy and Spain. Besides personal experiences also images transmitted through media and informal social networks play a role. In addition, it sheds light on the perceptions that young Italians and Spaniards have of the Berlin and London labour markets. The findings suggest that positive images of the Berlin and London economies, together with a lack of hope for sustainable economic recovery in the country of origin impact migration decisions, and may also encourage migrants who face challenges in the labour market of destination countries to accept poor employment conditions, rather than leave the new society. The analysis is based on 69 in-depth interviews with young Italians and Spaniards, most of whom emigrated after 2008.
Social Inclusion, 2019
This article investigates in comparative perspective different accounts of the motivations for mi... more This article investigates in comparative perspective different accounts of the motivations for migration offered by Bulgarian, Romanian, Italian and Spanish nationals living in another EU country, or planning to move. In-depth interviews yield a range of accounts for the decision to leave the home-country, from narrowly defined economic motivations, professional and ‘qualitative’ labour market considerations, to desires for cultural/lifestyle exploration. Both individual and country-level factors are mobilised in motivational accounts, which are also set against the backdrop of major external shocks, such as the 2007 enlargement of the European Union and the 2008 global financial crisis. Findings highlight the need to consider the interplay between macro and individual-level factors—that is, perceptions of cultural, economic, political and societal structures as well as individual characteristics—in studying migratory behaviour. Moreover, the findings to a certain extent support the...
Social Inclusion, Nov 7, 2019
This article investigates in comparative perspective different accounts of the motivations for mi... more This article investigates in comparative perspective different accounts of the motivations for migration offered by Bulgarian, Romanian, Italian and Spanish nationals living in another EU country, or planning to move. In-depth interviews yield a range of accounts for the decision to leave the home-country, from narrowly defined economic motivations, professional and 'qualitative' labour market considerations, to desires for cultural/lifestyle exploration. Both individual and country-level factors are mobilised in motivational accounts, which are also set against the backdrop of major external shocks, such as the 2007 enlargement of the European Union and the 2008 global financial crisis. Findings highlight the need to consider the interplay between macro and individual-level factors-that is, perceptions of cultural, economic, political and societal structures as well as individual characteristics-in studying migratory behaviour. Moreover, the findings to a certain extent support the distinction between the 'classic' labour migration behaviour of Bulgarian and Romanian respondents and the 'new European mobilities' of Italian and Spanish participants, who emphasise more the overlapping professional, affective, cultural and quality of life considerations that shape the decision to move. However, convergence across groups may be expected in the future as East-West movers become more socialised into 'new' cultures of European mobility and as South-North migration patterns increasingly reinforce some of the 'periphery-core' dynamics of contemporary intra-EU mobility.
Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of... more Comparative Report: Individual factors for migration and migration channels A major ingredient of the transformative processes in present-day Europe is the mobility of human capital. One of the major challenges continuously facing the EU is how best to manage labour migration in the context of population ageing and global competition for skills (OECD/EU, 2016). In order for the process to serve as an invigorating factor both for the economies in the region and for the quality of work and life of European citizens and residents we need to have the evidence of migrants’ expectations, experiences and aspirations for the future. In this report we present results from the comparative analysis conducted within the framework of WP4 ‘The lived experiences of migration’ of the GEMM Project (D4.3).
The Canadian Journal of European and Russian Studies
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Papers by Maricia Fischer-Souan