Giving Compass' Take:

• The Migration Policy Institute’s Transatlantic Council on Migration provides five ways to build immigration consensus in the face of growing populism and division in the U.S. and Europe. 

• How can funders help to build productive immigration conversations? 

• Learn about the role of refugee education in disproving dystopian populism.

A wave of support for nativist and populist parties and politicians who espouse such views has shaken the foundations of mainstream politics across the industrialized world. Although the electoral fortunes of these actors have ebbed and flowed—defying the predictions of pollsters and analysts at almost every turn—it is clear that populism (and particularly nativist populism) has reached a tipping point and entered the political mainstream. Populist politicians have tapped into a sense of real and perceived loss and grievance among sections of the public roiled by the effects of globalization (and the growth in inequality it has spurred), labor-market volatility (and the workers it has left behind), rapid cultural shifts, and concerns about the long-term viability of the social-welfare model that has come to be viewed as a birthright of residents of wealthier societies. In short, they have harnessed waves of discontent that can be expected to continue to rattle political systems for years to come.

While populism is nothing new, several forces have magnified its influence. These include the fragmentation of mainstream political parties that some voters have concluded no longer represent them or their core concerns, and the unfettered (and unvetted) spread of information and ideas through new media platforms, and the concomitant distrust of facts that has allowed new grievances to spread. From marches by the English Defence League in the United Kingdom and by Pegida in Germany, to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s attacks on institutions that espouse liberal values, and clashes over white supremacy and the symbolism of the Civil War-era Confederate flag in the United States, the symptoms of public discord run much deeper than what rises to the surface during elections. As opportunistic politicians whip up anxieties and seize on fear and discontent, the big questions are: where do U.S. and European societies go from here, and how should mainstream parties and actors respond to these developments?

The Migration Policy Institute’s Transatlantic Council on Migration convened to discuss what this latest wave of right-wing populism portends for immigration policymaking, and how to rebuild a political middle ground that many fear has been lost. Mainstream politicians face a sharp challenge to reclaim the narrative and forge a “new politics” that is demonstrably responsive to the interests of all. But the silver lining of “business as usual” having been upended is that everything is up for grabs.

The Council debate highlighted five steps that established political actors can use to fashion a new consensus on immigration and gradually regain support that has been lost:

  1. Directly address all forms of immigration disorder in order to rebuild and maintain public trust.
  2. Create new channels for the public to engage in policy decisions and voice legitimate grievances.
  3. Communicate complex policy decisions clearly without overpromising or stoking fears.
  4. Redress inequality by investing in communities.
  5. Employ a forward-looking, whole-of-society approach to integration.