This book explores various forms of highly skilled mobility in the European Union, assessing the potential for this movement to contribute to individual and societal development. In doing so, the authors illustrate some of the issues arising from the opening up of Europe’s borders, and exposing its education systems and labour markets to international competition. While acknowledging the potentially positive aspects of mobility, they also reveal many of the negative consequences arising from flaws in mobility governance and inequalities in access to opportunities, arguing that when the management of mobility goes ‘wrong’, we are left with a heightened level of precariousness and the reproduction of social inequality.

This discussion will be of interest to those working within Europe’s mobility infrastructure, as well as policymakers in the mobility field and students and scholars from across the social sciences.

David Cairns is Senior Researcher at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology, ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, Portugal, currently undertaking research on the Erasmus programme. He has published widely on topics including migration and youth studies.

Valentina Cuzzocrea is Lecturer in Sociology at University of Cagliari, Italy. She is also coordinator of the European Sociological Association RN 30 Youth and Generation and a member of the CoE/EC Pool of European Youth Researchers.

Daniel Briggs is Professor of Criminology at the European University of Madrid, Spain. His research includes work on social problems, deviance and migration. He is currently undertaking research on the refugee crisis.