Integration-policy aspects of controlled immigration

On the instructions of the inter-ministry working group of the Bavarian State Government on issues of immigration control and immigration restriction, the efms compiled an expert report on integration-policy aspects of controlled immigration.

The task of the expert report was to analyse the current situation of migrant integration in Germany, focusing on the connections between the quantitative proportions of migration inflows and the chances of integration for resident migrants. Comparisons with the policies of the European neighbouring countries and the problems they experience were also considered.

The expert report included both general social-science findings on integration research and concrete empirical data which were interpreted in relation to the research question. As agreed in meetings with members of the inter-ministry working group on immigration control the following issues were dealt with in the expert report:

• How does integration "work"? What are the conditions for successful integration?
• Are "parallel societies" developing in Germany?
• Are there processes of acculturation between immigrants and Germans or is there an increasing social distance?
• Do "foreigners" identify with Germany?

Several surveys (Friedrich Ebert Foundation, EFFNATIS, SOEP…) which include the first and / or second migrant generation in their sample were used as the empirical basis for the expert report. Analysing the situation of the second generation of migrants is of strategic importance for integration research as integration progress, stagnation or retrograde developments can best be ascertained in this way. For this reason, data on the integration of the second generation of migrants which had been collected in the EFFNATIS project was analysed. They played an important role in answering the questions listed above.

At the beginning, the expert report deals with questions of terminology and concepts (foreigner, migration, migrant, integration). This is followed by statistical questions related to measuring integration. All chapters of the expert report end with recommendations for political, social or administrative action.

Publication:
Friedrich Heckmann, Tanja Wunderlich, Susanne Worbs, Harald W. Lederer: Integrationspolitische Aspekte einer gesteuerten Zuwanderung. Gutachten für die interministerielle Arbeitsgruppe der Bayerischen Staatsregierung zu Fragen der Zuwanderungssteuerung und Zuwanderungsbegrenzung, München 2000, 129 pages with 19 tables and five illustrations