1. Ethnic pluralism and social cohesion: strategic challenges for policy Shamit Saggar – Yale University & University of Sussex * shamit.saggar@aya.yale.edu s.saggar@sussex.ac.uk Presentation to the New Challenges for Race Equality & Community Cohesion conference, ippr, London, July 2004 * A personal perspective

2. 2 Some concluding thoughts… 6. CONCLUSIONS 1.Immigration has not undermined national integrity 2.Some immigrant groups have progressed well, others not 3.Labour market integration has been unwisely downplayed 4.Discrimination persists and thus affects social trust 5.High risk, alienated, left-behind groups are the priority 6.Building a common glue is vital but so is the need to avoid overly prescriptive, threatening answers A PREVIEW…

3. 3 This presentation covers… The basic proposition Unity and mythical unity Lessons from contemporary history Lessons from the US and beyond Strategic choices Conclusions

4. 4 The relationship is three-way Promoting solidarity depends in part on underlying (in)equality… …and it is misleading to pretend otherwise But there is a risk: that groups are liable to think that they have had to needlessly shed their heritage purely to get on or fit in (not desirable) to avoid getting picked on (not acceptable at all) Solidarity EqualityDiversity 1. THE PROPOSITION

5. 5 Inter-group trust does not operate in a vacuum but is predicated on equality Source: Citizenship Survey, 2001 Unexplained gaps in perception

6. 6 Growing diversity may affect aspects of social trust… …but connectedness/cohesion may be declining in any case …dangers of harping back to mythical, golden age of homogeneity …the wrong glue might stifle diversity and threaten marginal groups …bonding/bridging stories are not well understood short versus long-term impacts bonding leading to bridging

7. 7 Unhelpfully, unity can be illusory Danger of harping back to a mythical golden age of social homogeneity Little reason to think that viable nationhood depends on ethnic homogeneity Growing evidence to suggest post-war immigrants have been successful in developing a sense of shared identity with locals Clear patterns of black/Asian Britons stronger attachment to British identity 2. UNITY AND MYTHICAL UNITY

8. 8 And may set the bar too high or in the wrong place Connected segments of society that are capable of showing common outlooks, esp in times of need Whilst avoiding narrow uniformity that stifles creativity, experimentation and plurality The above hangs on: –Citizenship and human rights as an essential glue –Bearing down on causes of settled disadvantage

9. 9 35 years ago it was widely assumed that immigration threatened Britain Little Englanders complained that –Immigration would undermine distinctive British identity –Strangers would detract from shared values and the integrity of nationhood Both arguments were incorrect in the long run although scepticism remains – the evidence is mixed, frankly Betrayal: Nation vs state Relevance for todays immigration politics 3. HISTORICAL LESSONS

10. 10 Clearly Britons can relate beyond their ethnic boundaries Guarded and unguarded optimism about race relations has grown gently BSA evidence points to declining social distance on ethnic grounds, notably among younger generations Intermarriage rates have risen significantly Long term immigration sceptics number around a third of the electorate at most Far right extremism has been limited to: cultural-religious fears/concerns attacking left-behind, isolated groups

11. 11 Usually wrong Always wrong Continuing impact of discrimination confirmed by statistical analysis - also by blind discrimination tests, outcomes of employment tribunals and personal testimonies Powerful norms about the acceptability of discrimination in employment - to which government can appeal Individuals clearly can see and relate beyond their own ethnic group – a sense of fair play HOW OFTEN DOES DISCRIMINATION OCCUR IN THE WORKPLACE? HOW ACCEPTABLE IS DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKPLACE? Percentage Source: British Social Attitudes, 2002 Moreover, feeling against discrimination – unfairness - is a powerful norm Happens sometimes Happens a lot Percentage

12. 12 The race question does not scar the political landscape – as once predicted 44% NHS/Hospitals 33% Crime/law and order 21% Education/schools 15% Race relations/immigration 11% Defence 10% Unemployment 6% Economy 6% Transport 6% Drug abuse 5% Pensions/social security Source: MORI, 2002 - Base: All GB adults,aged 16+ (822) QWhat would you say were the two or three most important issues facing Britain today? Rising for sure - but not a racial scar as some predicted

13. 13 Public attitudes towards ethnic diversity are softening BSA social distance items point to a clear softening in attitudes: –Workplace colleagues; bosses; neighbors; friends; in-laws A tolerant minority can be profiled: –Higher education period effect seems critical –Young, female, parent, HE, southern, Labor-voting, etc –Popular culture is playing a role Classic US test of integration (intermarriage): –12-15% among younger Asians (versus <1% some 15 years ago)

14. 14 American belief about American social mobility stands at the heart of attitudes towards immigrants and ethnic diversity People think they can make it on their own, do not need the support of the state, that their fate is in their own hands. Forget whether it is myth or reality. …/… (Nathan Glazer, Prospect, March 2004) Therefore human capital and the labour market are the central drivers of immigrant outcomes, perceived and real There is precious little demand for integration-centred public policy Whilst deserving and undeserving welfare serves as a stronger force for cohesion and shared values US experience points to the importance of economic integration 4. LESSONS FROM ABROAD

15. 15 Specific lessons about bridging social capital… Immigrants often – initially – lack both bridging and bonding social capital Bridging normally weakest at the bottom of the social hierarchy Bonding can often foster bridging: e.g. Catholic church bonds groups through religion whilst also bridges based on class and ethnicity Bonding and bridging can be highly complementary – and not competitive – if the right circumstances permit Putnams work contains useful nuances on the above bonding/bridging questions However, less is known about: –How bridging activities and mechanisms evolve over time –The best interventions for public policy

16. 16 Re-evaluations of the German case suggest misplaced concerns Consistent German culture and value system: more illusory than previously thought Thus newcomers cannot be expected to adopt a largely non- existent, uniform German culture Adhere to: –Core principles of the constitution –Its implicit normative values –Rules for addressing conflict Ideal immigrant: sign up to the above whilst not obstructed by social or economic marginalization Marginalization breeds cynicism and isolated communities no longer connected by social consensus. (Dominic Sachsenmaier, YaleGlobal, August 2003)

17. 17 Isolating the biggest risks… Three stand out: 1.Settled disadvantage of left-behind, at-risk groups: e.g. pariahs status of young black men, BMCs 2.Extremism: penetrating the circle of tacit support 3.Getting the right glue to build the right cohesion 5. STRATEGIC CHALLENGES

18. 18 What should be done? There are three main rationales for intervention that follow: 1.Social exclusion strategy - prioritise left-behind groups, including poor, isolated whites 2.Use labour market policy to do the heavy lifting, complemented with appropriate social cohesion glue 3.Social cohesion - avoiding patterns of ethnic settled disadvantage that breed alienation/extremism

19. 19 Some concluding thoughts… 6. CONCLUSIONS 1.Immigration has not undermined national integrity 2.Some immigrant groups have progressed well, others not 3.Labour market integration has been unwisely downplayed 4.Discrimination persists and thus affects social trust 5.High risk, alienated, left-behind groups are the priority 6.Building a common glue is vital but so is the need to avoid overly prescriptive, threatening answers

20. 20 …or in a sentence: 6. CONCLUSIONS Building greater and more explicit cohesion across ethnic lines depends on understanding recent history learning the lessons of how economic integration has worked abroad and systematically tackling settled disadvantage.