Field:
    Comparative Politics / International Relations

Dissertation Title:
    Welfare Systems, Political Parties, and International Migration: Fiscal Effects of Migration and Conditional Partisan Effects on Migration Policies in European Countries

Committee:
    Ronald Rogowski (Chair), Kathleen Bawn, Jeffrey Lewis, and Andreas Wimmer

Date of Completion:
   

Contact Information:
    Kyung Joon Han
    UCLA Political Science Department
    4289 Bunche Hall
    Los Angeles, California 90095-1472
    Phone: 310-825-4331
    Fax: 310-825-0778

Curriculum Vitae:
    Download PDF

Current Publications:
    “Policy Decisiveness and Responses to Speculative Attacks in Developed Countries,” European Journal of Political Research, Vol 48, pp. 723-755.

Writing Samples:
    - “Conditional Partisan Effects on International Migration: Labor’s Constraint on Left-wing Governments”
    - “Forever by Your Side? Reluctant Restriction on Asylum Seekers by Left-wing Parties”
    - “Welfare States, Fiscal Pressure and Public Attitudes toward Migrants”
    - “Saving Public Pension: Labor Migration Effects on the Public Pension System”
    - “Skill Mix of Immigrants and Public Attitudes toward Immigration in the United States”

Dissertation Summary:
    My dissertation addresses two underexplored questions. First, what are the effects of international migration on the welfare systems in host countries, and how are discussions of migration policies shaped by these effects? Second, how does party politics affect the formation of migration policies? To answer these questions, my dissertation studies three sets of issues regarding international migration in European countries: (a) public attitudes toward migrants; (b) population aging, public pensions, and the recruitment of foreign workers; and (c) policies on welfare benefits to asylum seekers. Using both statistical analyses and case studies, my dissertation reaches three conclusions. First, the effect of international migration on a country’s welfare system varies depending on types of migration as well as the types of welfare programs. Second, people in host countries are aware of the welfare effects of migration and are particularly concerned about the fiscal pressure resulting from migration; their awareness and concern play significant roles in shaping migration policies. Finally, partisan differences on migration policies are sometimes conditional: Although European left-wing parties generally have more liberal positions on migration, they sometimes are constrained to be tough on migration by other factors, such as the political power of manual workers, negative public opinion regarding migrants, and upcoming elections.

Research Interests:
    I have been interested in the question of how domestic political factors such as political institutions and political parties affect economic policies. A paper of mine published in a journal examines how political institutions determine responses to speculative attacks. My dissertation also studies dynamic effects of party politics on migration policies. I plan to continue research in related areas and to develop a theory of conditional partisan politics using various issues of international migration. To do that, I plan to measure the preferences of political parties on migration policies, using a scaling technique based on word frequencies in political texts. Specifically, I plan to study how the structure of left-wing parties’ constituencies, such as the importance of manual workers’ votes, decides these parties’ preferences on migration policies.

Teaching Interests:
    I have the most ability to teach and greatest interest in teaching introductory courses on comparative politics, Western European politics, East Asian politics, world politics, and international political economy. I am also able to teach advanced courses on comparative political institutions, politics of immigration, and both quantitative and qualitative research methods.