Current Trends and Developments
| Date | 01 June 1986 |
| Published date | 01 June 1986 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.1986.tb00798.x |
| Author | J.P. PILLIARD |
Current Trends and Developments
PATTERNS AND FORMS OF IMMIGRANT PARTICIPATION
AND REPRESENTATION AT THE LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVELS
IN
WESTERN (CONTINENTAL) EUROPE’)
The question of immigrant participation and representation in political life has always
been an issue for democracy. It has become crucial in Western Continental Europe. When
the so-called immigration countries decided in 1974 to put
a
ban on further inflows of
foreign workers, they proclaimed their willingness to promote the integration into the
receiving society of those who had contributed to the economic expansion of the 1960’s.
This implied establishing a dialogue with these foreign residents and some sort
of
system
of consultation, and even of participation in the decision-making process, on matters in
which they were primarily interested in their double and somewhat ambiguous capacity of
‘foreigners’ and ‘residents’ (and, as such, tax payers).
The paradox is that the number of foreign residents (and of people of foreign origin) has
generally increased since 1974. Since they were willing to facilitate the process of
integration of the foreign workers who had been called in for limited periods
as
‘guests’,
most countries undertook to favour family reunion. Thus the population of foreign origin
grew, while becoming younger and with higher proportions of women. In West Germany
for instance, from September 1974 to September 1983, the number of foreign residents
increased by a little less than 10 per cent, with a decrease of 5.8 per cent among males, and
an increase of 13 per cent among women and 48.2 per cent among young people. At the
same time (September 1983), 70.8 per cent ofthe foreign residents had been in the country
for more than eight years, 54 per cent for more than
10
years, 19.5 per cent for more than
15
years, and 8.6 per cent more than 20 years. In Switzerland at the end of 1983, of 926,000
foreign residents (excluding 200,000 seasonal and frontier workers), 77 per cent were
holding an establishment permit, giving them almost the same rights as those of Swiss
nationals, and 23 per cent held an annual permit. These proportions had been respectively
49 and 51 per cent in 1952, and 31 and 69 per cent in 1968.
The following table is intended to give an idea of the magnitude of the populations we
have in mind when raising the issue of their participation in the political debate. The last
column takes into account the number ofnaturalized people who usually have the right to
vote, and (after some time) to be eligible and often play an important role in the
representation/consultation
system.
50
1
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