Theories of Local Immigration Policy

An introduction and analysis of studies of local immigration policy. Most studies articulate a localist narrative in which local problems associated with immigration prompt local policies, shaped by local conditions and with local consequences. Other studies show that local immigration policies cannot be understood apart from their context, including inter-governmental relations, transnational economic processes, and international norms. After discussion of the limits of the localist approach, the ontological, theoretical, and methodological principles of the relational approach are used to explain the emergence, variation, and effects of local immigration policy within the context of globalization.