Ippr and the National Identity Agenda

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Ippr and the National Identity Agenda

• Naomi Pollard
• Institute for Public Policy Research

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• An introduction to ippr
• Citizenship and migration research at ippr
• Our key projects relating to the national
  identity agenda

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ipprs history

• Established in 1988 as alternative to free market
  think-tanks
• Founded by centre-left academics, policy makers
  and trade unionists
• Founded on values of social justice, civic
  renewal, sustainability and economic prosperity
• Role and size changed over last 10 years

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ippr today

• Arguably the UKs largest think-tank
• Approximately 60 staff in 10 teams working on
  numerous projects
• ipprNorth in Newcastle
• Registered charity
• Funded by a range of sources

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Our work

• Research driven by values
• social justice, democracy, environmental
  sustainability
• Variety of methodological tools and perspectives
• - qualitative, quantitative, public
  involvement, local,
• regional, comparative, international
• Novel, workable policy development
• Effective dissemination
• seminars, roundtables and conferences
• publications (online and print)
• media
• political Party conferences

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Our impact

• More than 35 books and web-based reports each
  year
• High-profile programme of debates, discussions,
  lectures and conferences, allowing us to engage
  with a broad audience
• Our recommendations have played a key role across
  the full spectrum of policy, from the reform of
  public services and pension policy, to the
  introduction of congestion charging and Child
  Trust Funds
• Over 3500 media appearances in the past year

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Our profile
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Our research relating to the national identity
agenda

• Undertaken by the Migration, Equalities and
• Citizenship team and the Power and Democracy
• team
• Welcome and integration of migrants
• Community cohesion
• Civic engagement
• Public participation
• National identity
• Some examples of our key work in this area

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The Power of Belonging Identity, citizenship and
community cohesion

• New identity politics we need to do more to
  foster a common sense of belonging and shared
  civic identities.
• Shared identities could help contribute to a
  number of progressive goals
• Foster communities where people from different
  backgrounds get on well together
• Encourage citizens to participate actively in
  public life
• Generate wider support for more egalitarian
  distribution of wealth and income

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The Power of Belonging Identity, citizenship and
community cohesion

• Criticism from right about meddling with
  tradition
• Criticism from left about proposals for cultural
  assimilation
• Steering a path between the two viewpoints a
  set of civic values that all can share
• Debate about citizenship has most recently
  focussed on whether multiculturalism poses a
  threat to social solidarity
• We argue no trade off between multiculturalism on
  one hand and community cohesion on the other

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The Power of Belonging Identity, citizenship and
community cohesion

• Our proposed ways forward
• A new constitutional settlement and new channels
  for political participation
• Celebrate democratic heritage
• A national civic day
• A new honours system
• Re-thinking state-citizen encounters
• A youth community service
• A One Britain campaign
• Culture, sport and heritage
• Fostering shared identity through contact

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UK Museum of Migration

• Migration is central to the history of Britain
• While other countries, such as Australia and the
  US, have well-developed museums that reflect and
  respond to the phenomenon, the coverage of
  migration within UK museums has often been
  partial, temporary or small scale
• More should and could be done to capture and
  recognise the complexity of migration patterns
  including permanent and temporary settlers as
  well as British emigration
• Seeking to study the ways in which migration can
  be better represented in UK museums, galleries
  and heritage sector.
• Starting in 2008, the project will be conducted
  over 18 months and will involve
  extensive consultation and background research

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From Refugee to Citizen

• Life history interviews with 30 refugees, at
  different stages in the process of integration in
  the UK, who had come to the UK during the last 50
  years
• Explored what integration and Britishness means
  to refugees and what factors aid and hinder
  integration
• On the basis of findings, drew up a six point
  definition of integration and policy
  recommendations in a number of areas
• Asylum policy, integration policy, adult
  education and training, employment, childrens
  service, housing, social cohesion and community
  safety, volunteering and active citizenship

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Beyond naturalisation citizenship policy in an
age of super mobility

• Govt has responded to increased and increasingly
  diverse immigration by introducing a range of
  policies to make acquisition of citizenship more
  meaningful process
• 150,000 people applied for citizenship each year
  for the last 3 years means that process cannot be
  disregarded
• However, orthodox assumption that integration is
  promoted through naturalisation challenged by
  more short-term migration and low up-take of
  citizenship among some migrants
• Increased mobility may mean that fewer new
  migrants will be eligible or, if eligible,
  interested in taking up British Citizenship

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Beyond naturalisation citizenship policy in an
age of super mobility

• With the number of short and long-term residents
  without British Citizenship likely to increase,
  how should Govt aid the integration and
  development of local attachments of those who are
  not eligible or eager to become British?

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Beyond naturalisation citizenship policy in an
age of super mobility

• How should naturalisation policy be adapted in
  order to respond?
• Being clear about the aims of naturalisation
  policy
• Setting the bar right
• Promoting positive reasons for naturalisation
• Changing public discourse around naturalisation

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Beyond naturalisation citizenship policy in an
age of super mobility

• Beyond naturalisation
• Encouraging greater political participation
• Encouraging volunteering
• Re-energising European citizenship
• Fostering local belonging
• Involving universities and colleges
• Reviewing entitlement to integration support
• Supporting English language teaching

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• Thank you
• n.pollard_at_ippr.org
• www.ippr.org