Invisible capitalism
Political economy and the regulation of undocumented immigration in France
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2159352 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Michael Samers (0000-0003-4664-7179) |
| Year | 2003 |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 555-583 |
| Publication date | 2003-11-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Economy and Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0308-5147 • E-ISSN: 1469-5766 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/0308514032000141701 |
| OpenAlex | W2079448583 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 26 |
What explains the French government's unwillingness to accept more legal immigrants or at least ignore those who enter or over-stay clandestinely? This paper answers this question by exploring the political economy and regulation of undocumented immigration in France during the 1990s. In light of a broad liberal and Marxist literature on the political economy of immigration, I argue that three 'proximate determinants' shape the regulation of undocumented immigration in France (a 'Europeanized' security agenda, 'self-limited sovereignty' and control of the labour market, especially informal employment). However, these proximate determinants do not necessarily excavate the social relations of power (that is political economy) which constitute the basis for policy making. I argue then that a return to the importance of the labour market (and thus the class and racial constitution of French society) is essential, but without a simple return to Marxist political economy. Instead, I suggest the value of 'virtualism' for carving out a new post-structuralist/'postmodern' political economy of immigration. Keywords: immigrationmigrationundocumentedillegalinformalFrance
Capitalism · Economics · Economy · Immigration · Marxist philosophy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Sovereignty · Employment and Welfare Studies · Healthcare Systems and Practices · Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, Gender · Law
An Emerging Geopolitics of 'Illegal' Immigration in the European Union
The disoriented state
North Korean Female Entrepreneurs in South Korea
Undocumented immigrants at work
Breaking Down Anonymity
Borderland Regime
A tale of networks and policies
Political Economy of Informalization
Resistance in the neoliberal city
Multicultural Narratives and the Construction of Identity
New state-theoretic approaches to asylum and refugee geographies
Cross-Channel Geographers
Migration and Surplus Populations
Neoliberalism and the Economic Utility of Immigration
The Myopia of "Diverse Economies", or a Critique of the "Informal Economy
Employment and Migrant Deservingness
Keeping London working
Building Austin, building justice
Becoming Less Illegal
The Political Economy of Borders in a 'Borderless' European Labour Market
The New Face of East–West Migration in Europe
Better Off at Home? Rethinking Responses to Trafficked West African Footballers in Europe
Making labour mobile
The Labour Market Consequences of Human Smuggling
Policing and Humanitarianism in France
Beyond Informal Citizenship
| Unique citing works | 26 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,18 |
| Citation span | 2004 - 2026 (23) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 26 |