This report discusses the political debate surrounding national identity in the Netherlands against the backdrop of growing public anxiety about immigrants and their effect on local communities. While policies designed to mitigate these fears largely stress national identity and demand cultural assimilation, the report provides an alternative set of recommendations based on the notion of plural identification.

This report examines why Spain, one of the countries hit hardest by the economic crisis with some of Europe’s highest levels of unemployment, has not seen a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment. The report describes how the government and general populace have responded to immigration before and after the onset of the economic crisis, and highlights possible reasons for Spain’s exceptional openness.