Temporary EU Labor Migrants and Housing Policy Challenges: Policy Differences Between Municipalities in Zuid-Holland and the Role of Private Actors
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Temporary EU labor migrants and housing policy challenges: Policy differences between municipalities in Zuid-Holland and the role of private actors de Zwaan (2018, 3 April) Thom Keijzer (546833) MSc. Public Administration: Governance of Migration and Diversity Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Date: 05-08-2020 Word count: 19997 First Reader: Dr. M.M.A.C van Ostaijen Second Reader: MSc. I. van Breugel Abstract This research examines the policy differences on housing of labor migrants between the municipality of Vlaardingen and Lansingerland. Both municipalities have their own contextual differences and involved actors that shaped the policy outlines. The role of private and public actors regarding these policies is examined by applying a policy network analysis. For both cases, the network has been indicated in order to illustrate its structure, the relevant resources, and the power distribution. Consequently, this research provides insight into two opposite local policy networks and reveals the roles that public and private actors have concerning policy on housing of labor migrants. It illustrates that migration management by municipalities is increasingly done by privatization of public interests and responsibilities. As a result, monopolization of private actors occurs due to their privileged position, which may lead to problem displacement to other municipalities. 2 Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 5 1.2 Academic and Societal Relevance .................................................................................... 6 2. Theoretical framework ........................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Motivations ....................................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Liquidity and flexibility .................................................................................................... 8 2.3 Governing in present times ............................................................................................. 10 2.4 Power diffusion and the policy network ......................................................................... 12 2.4.1 Network Structure .................................................................................................... 13 2.4.2 Resources ................................................................................................................. 14 2.4.3 Power distribution .................................................................................................... 15 3. Research design .................................................................................................................... 17 3.1 Research question & Sub-questions ............................................................................... 17 3.2 Methods .......................................................................................................................... 18 3.2.1 Case selection........................................................................................................... 18 3.2.2 Data collection ......................................................................................................... 19 3.2.3 Data analysis ............................................................................................................ 21 3.3 Operationalization........................................................................................................... 23 3.4 Reliability and Validity................................................................................................... 25 3.5 Ethical considerations ..................................................................................................... 26 4. Context ................................................................................................................................. 27 4.1 Housing of labor migrants and the position of private actors ......................................... 27 4.2 The role of the municipality............................................................................................ 29 4.3 The SNF certificate ......................................................................................................... 30 5. Results .................................................................................................................................. 31 5.1 Case description .............................................................................................................. 31 5.2 Core policy elements ...................................................................................................... 32 5.3 Membership .................................................................................................................... 34 5.3.1 Density ..................................................................................................................... 34 5.3.2 Interests .................................................................................................................... 35 5.4 Interaction ....................................................................................................................... 39 5.4.1 Interaction guiding ................................................................................................... 39 5.4.2 Cooperation .............................................................................................................. 39 3 5.4.3 Conflict .................................................................................................................... 41 5.4.4 Bargaining ................................................................................................................ 42 5.5 Resources within the network ......................................................................................... 43 5.5.1 Mobilizing troops ..................................................................................................... 43 5.5.2 Public opinion .......................................................................................................... 44 5.6 Resources within the organization .................................................................................. 45 5.6.1 Formal legal authority .............................................................................................. 45 5.6.2 Information............................................................................................................... 46 5.6.3 Financial resources................................................................................................... 46 5.6.4 Skillfull Leadership .................................................................................................. 47 5.7 Power distribution ........................................................................................................... 48 5.7.1 Power Concentration ................................................................................................ 48 5.7.2 Power Fragmentation ............................................................................................... 49 6. Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 52 6.1 Network structure ........................................................................................................... 52 6.2 Resources ........................................................................................................................ 54 6.3 Power distribution ........................................................................................................... 55 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 56 8. Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 60 9. Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 62 4 1. Introduction Many municipalities in the Netherlands are dealing with signs of nuisance from labor migrants. Noise disturbance, dirt, and odor nuisance are mostly experienced and caused due to overcrowded houses and bad living conditions (BN De Stem, 2018). Municipalities have difficulties challenging these issues and some municipalities even tried to introduce quotas for labor migrants (Omroep Gelderland, 2020). However, this is legally not possible, because many labor migrants are European citizens. As a result, labor migrants are able to travel freely and many migrants do not register, which makes it hard for governments to deal with the issue (de Zwaan, 2018). Additionally, these labor migrants move very easily, which causes many local governments to deal with it differently (Engbersen, 2018). Most temporary labor migrants in the Netherlands come from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The largest share are Polish immigrants, who live in the municipalities with intensive agriculture, horticulture, or process industries such as meat processing and slaughterhouses. These sectors are mostly located within the provinces of Zuid-Holland, Gelderland, Flevoland, and Brabant (CBS, 2019). Most of them who work in horticulture, work in the province of Zuid- Holland since this