The politics of exclusion

"Immigration is one of the most sensitive issues of modern European politics. Nowhere is this more the case than in Germany, both as a result of its history and the sheer scale of immigration it has experienced since 1945. Yet despite this background, Germany's immigration, residence and citizenship policy has been more restrictive when compared to that of many other countries; indeed, official policy long maintained that Germany was not a 'country of immigration'. But why has this been the case?" "Using an innovative analytical perspective, this book arrives at a new explanation for the persistence until recently of this apparent paradox. It uses models of policy-making in Germany to argue that the political system, in which power is widely dispersed between institutions, provides significant insights into why policy has only evolved gradually. In consequence, and despite considerable political pressure for change, Germany's policy structures have so far failed to adequately address the reality of immigration in its cities. Using description of the formulation of three major pieces of legislation over the past twenty years, including an analysis of the major controversy over citizenship in 1999, the book concludes that the incremental nature of policy reforms can largely be put down to the salient features of the German political process." "This book casts a new light on one of the most important and complex areas of German politics. It will appeal to specialist and nonspecialist readers alike."--Jacket.