This book presents a critical account of how citizenship unfolds among socially marginalised groups in democratic welfare states. Legal, political and sociological perspectives are applied to offer an assessment of the extent and depth of citizenship for marginalised groups in countries which are expected to offer their members a highly inclusive form of citizenship. The book studies the legal and political status of members of a nation state, and analyses how this is followed up in practice, by examining the subjective feelings of membership, belonging or identity, as well as opportunities to participate actively and be included in different areas of society. Showing how the welfare state and society treat citizens at risk of social exclusion and offering new insights into the conceptual interconnection between citizenship, social exclusion, and the democratic welfare state, the book will be of interest to all scholars, students and academics of social policy, social work and public policy.

First book to show how the concept of a generation can be used to have an increased understanding of the welfare state. Develops a differentiated concept of generation, with a corresponding analytical toolkit, and to explore and explain some of the main challenges facing robust and advanced welfare states. Of interest to all scholars and students of social policy, sociology, law, political science, and psychology.

This book documents and analyses changes to the immigration policy in Germany from Reunification in 1990 until 2005. Immigration policy is defined as a question of definition and redefinition of the boundaries of the national political community. The analysis shows that the concept of national political community was both disputed and reformulated in this political process. All the parties reformulated their arguments in a parallel fashion around the same time. This reformulation was not a one-dimensional or a purely linear process from an 'ethnos' to a 'demos' mode of thinking. By the end of this period, rights-based arguments had been combined with an increased emphasis on an immigrant's duty to accept both the central values of the German political system and the national cultural values. The main pattern of change demonstrates a shift from an ethnic understanding of national political community towards one that combines rights and cultural values.