week 6: “THE POLITICS OF EVERYDAY LIFE: SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND SOCIAL RELATIONS

Immigration is clearly both a significant sociopolitical and political economy issue. Economically, there is the problem of “absorbing new, generally non-English-speaking populations into an economy that may have to provide increased public support” for them, and socially there is a concern about whether society’s “traditions and values clash with those of the newcomers” (McKenna and Feingold 2009: 277). There are also political and ethical consequences in how the United States is viewed by other countries and peoples if immigration is strongly restricted. “In this chapter, we examined some of the significant ways that the state, as well as more local units of government, make decisions every day that impact virtually every aspect of our lives. The ways we live our lives, including our political participation, also shape politics and the policies of the government.