COVID-19 and Attitudes to Immigration in Europe

The worsening economic situation due to COVID-19 has replaced immigration as the number one concern of Europeans in 2020, but immigration remains the second most pressing issue facing the EU, according to Eurobarometers. Anti-immigrant sentiments are associated with voting for far right parties, with implications for upcoming elections in a number of key European countries. This seminar features two experts in public opinion who will examine European attitudes towards immigrants in light of the pandemic.

Speakers:

Andrew Geddes is a Professor of Migration Studies and the Director of the Migration Policy Centre at European University Institute. During his career, he has led and participated in a number of major projects on aspects of international migration working with a wide range of academic and non-academic partners. For the period 2014-19 he was awarded an Advanced Investigator Grant by the European Research Council for a project on the drivers of global migration governance. He has published extensively on global migration, with a particular focus on policy-making and the politics of migration and on regional cooperation and integration. Recent publications include The Politics of Migration and Immigration in Europe (London: Sage, co-authored with Peter Scholten); The Dynamics of Regional Migration Governance (edited with Marcia Vera Espinoza, Leila Hadj-Abdou and Leiza Brumat) and A Rising Tide? The Salience of Immigration and the Rise of Anti-Immigration Political Parties in Western Europe (Political Quarterly, with James Dennison). Prior to joining EUI he was a Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield, UK where he served as Head of Department between 2008 and 2011.

Christopher Warshaw is Associate Professor of Political Science at George Washington University. He previously taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and holds a Ph.D. and J.D. from Stanford University. Dr. Warshaw's research evaluates the links between public opinion, elections, and political outcomes primarily in the United States. His work is published in American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, the Annual Review of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, and other top political science journals.

Moderator:

Hilary Silver is Professor of Sociology, International Affairs, and Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University.