126 Chapter 6 By advancing understanding of these dynamics, this dissertation contributes valuable evidence to inform policymakers and contribute to a more nuanced public debate on immigration and social policy, highlighting the importance of considering specific immigration patterns and contextual factors when addressing migration-related policy challenges. Policymakers should take note of the evidence presented here to guide their decisions on immigration and welfare, ensuring that they continue to provide welfare policies while fostering solidarity and inclusion in the face of ongoing migration challenges. 6.3 Future Research The findings of this dissertation contribute to existing knowledge on the comparative political economy of immigration and welfare, however there is still space for future research to consider further nuance and contribute to fine-tuning our understanding around these complex interactions. First, as this dissertation shows, the effects of immigration on the welfare state likely depend on the type of migration. Consequently, the independent variable (immigration) should be further disaggregated into different types of migration, e.g., different forms of labour migration, family migration, refugees, or asylum seekers, in order to yield a more precise understanding of how various forms of immigration impact welfare state effort. For instance, I find that labour migration from CEE countries has a more pronounced positive association with welfare spending compared to migration from WE countries. Indeed, the literature seems to be headed in this direction with studies such as Cappelen et al. (2025) focusing on filling this gap, in this case specifically, they study Polish labour migrants and their link with rising welfare chauvinism. Moreover, the composition of migration flows may also have an effect. For example, if immigration is made up predominantly of labour migration, does this have a different effect if migration flows are mostly made up of individuals relocating for family reunification or retirement reasons? Second, there is more room for understanding how welfare regimes and institutional contexts may mediate the relationship between immigration and social policy. I find a compensatory effect throughout this dissertation, but does this vary across welfare state models? Comparative research could further explore the potentially mediating role of different welfare regimes (e.g., Social-Democratic, Liberal, Conservative, Southern European, and post-Communist models) as countries with different welfare state designs may experience different policy outcomes in response to immigration. Some previous research suggests that more universalist welfare systems are more resilient to pressures from immigration versus more liberal systems, while others argue that the more progressive the system, the more vulnerable it
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