PhD Students - João Carvalho
Details
email : J.Carvalho@sheffield.ac.uk
Thesis Title: Impact of extreme right parties over immigration policy in the UK, France and Italy between 2000-2009
Start Date: 2007
Supervisors
Research topic
The research project consists of an analysis of extreme right parties over immigration policy in the UK, France and Italy from 2001 to 2010. This project aims to combine the extreme right parties´ literature with immigration studies, two research areas that usually develop independent of each other despite their overlapping interests.
The comparative scope of the project permits to draw observations derived from different case studies and contrast them with each other to assess the patterns of extreme right impact over immigration policy. British National Party in the UK, the Front National in France and the Lega Nord in Italy are the selected independent variables.
Theoretical Framework
According to research conducted over extreme right party family, impact of these parties in their political systems can be regarded as tri-dimensional: interparty competition level, public opinion behaviour and policy-making process. This framework of analysis will be applied to immigration policy only rather on the overall political system and on the three case studies. Proposed methodology to evaluate such dimensions encompasses: discourse analysis supplemented with content analysis of parties´ manifestos at first order ballots; analysis of public opinion polls; and evaluation of immigration policy development according to its distinct dimensions (primary, secondary, forced and irregular inflows).
This research ontology purports that immigration possesses no inherent meaning and is an empty signifier. Politics is conceived as the struggle to provide content for those empty signifiers. Thus, the value/meaning of immigration and its distinct dimensions consists of a contingent reflection of intersubjective relations between political actors that must be studied to ascertain the phenomenon meaning in a specific period.
Teaching
- POL109: Comparing Modern Polities (Module Tutor)
- POL219: International Affairs
Office Hour: Tuesday 16:00-17:00, Elmfield Rm. 1.41
Publications
- “A política de imigração do Estado Português entre 1991 e 2004”. Published by Alto Comissariado para a Imigração e Diálogo Intercultural, in Colecção Teses sobre Immigração e Minorias Étnicas, ISBN 978-989-8000-81-1, available in: http://www.oi.acidi.gov.pt/docs/Colec_Teses/tese_26.pdf
Conference Papers
- “Informal co-option of FN over immigration policy by Sarkozy in 2007 Presidential Elections”; Edinburgh Workshop Immigration and Citizenship, University of Edinburgh, November 2009.
- “Irregular Immigration as modern underclass in Europe”, paper presented at the 5th ECPR General Conference, University of Potsdam, September 2009.
- “A política de imigração do Estado Português entre 1991 e 2004” (Portuguese immigration policy between 1991-2004), paper presented at IV Portuguese Association of Political Science, March 2008.
- “A lei da nacionalidade portuguesa entre 1994 and 2006” (Portuguese citizenship law between 1994 and 2006), paper presented at Socinova Conference, Odivelas, July 2007.
Research Training Group Membership
- Comparative Politics
- Governance and Public Policy