Olaf van Vliet and Eduard Suari Andreu in NRC about research on migrants and social security
EU migrants receive less frequent and lower benefits and allowances than Dutch citizens. This is according to research by Leiden economists Olaf van Vliet and Eduard Suari Andreu published as part of the Social Citizenship & Migration research programme. The research is discussed in Dutch newspaper NRC.
The number of migrants from EU countries and in particular from Central and Eastern European countries has increased significantly in recent years. A controversial issue in the social debate on migration is the reliance of migrants on social security schemes and the pressure this would put on public finance. Using empirical research, Van Vliet and Suari Andreu provide insights into the extent to which this is true.
Based on detailed administrative data, they calculated the benefits and allowances received by intra-EU migrants and compared them to the benefits and allowances received by native Dutch citizens. The results show that EU migrants receive less frequent and lower benefits and allowances than Dutch citizens. These differences narrow over time and fade after about seven years. The study also shows that differences in benefits and allowances received between migrants and Dutch citizens vary between schemes. For instance, migrants from Central and Eastern European countries are more likely to receive welfare benefits while Dutch people are more likely to receive a state pension (AOW).
Read the full article (in Dutch) in the NRC here.
The complete research results can be consulted in the Dutch article which was published in TPEdigitaal.
More information about the research programme Social Citizenship & Migration is available on the programme's website.