Policy Briefs

Policy briefs offer facts and analysis on issues of immigration, integration and refugee flows, presented in a clear and accessible style. Each policy brief provides an introduction to a key theme, combining background analysis with a critical appraisal of different perspectives on the issues. In addition, the briefs contain tips for further reading and internet links, offering readers the chance to gain more indepth knowledge on a particular issue. Up to six new policy briefs are published annually.

Currently available

  • Policy Brief 16: Integration in plain figures? Approaches to integration monitoring in Germany
    By Susanne Worbs

    The past decade was characterised in Germany by profound political, legislative and institutional changes with regard to integration policy. In this context, the question increasingly arises as to whether and how to determine the successes and failures of Germany’s integration policy. The development of so-called “integration monitoring” that has experienced a boom in Germany in recent years, represents such an attempt. It records the current state and changes in immigrant integration by means of regularly collated statistical parameters (indicators).
    Susanne Worbs gives a brief overview of the development of integration monitoring in Germany before leading into an analysis of the similarities and differences between selected approaches. The policy brief is intended to contribute to an assessment of the potential, and also the limits, of current integration monitoring. (Published 05/2010)
  • Policy Brief 15: Climate change and migration
    By Thomas Hummitzsch

    Global warming is going to be one of the greatest political, economic and social challenges for the coming years. Experts all around the world are meanwhile discussing the possible effects of climate change on global migration processes.
    This policy brief introduces to those areas where climate change is most likely to cause migration. The causality relationship between environmental factors and new migratory movements as well as the legal position of the persons concerned is discussed.  (Published 12/2009)
  • Policy Brief 14: Dual citizenship. The discourse on ethnic and political boundary-making in Germany
    By Daniel Naujoks

    Discussions on the permissibility of dual citizenship play a special role in social discourse. In addition to technical and practical considerations, this concerns ideas of citizenship and naturalisation as ethnic and political boundary-making, as well as attitudes within a country towards permanent residents of a different origin and their integration in the social system.
    The policy brief introduces current developments and discusses critically objections against dual citizenship. (Published 11/2009)
  • Policy Brief 13: Skilled Female Labour Migration
    By Eleonore Kofman und Parvati Raghuram

    Women migrants now constitute almost half (49.6% in 2005) of all international migrants. The increase in female labour migration, i.e. of women moving in search of jobs, has caught the imagination of academics, the media and international and national policy makers across the globe. However, much of this attention has focused on migrant women who enter the lesser skilled sectors of the labour market, especially in work that is dangerous, dirty and low-paid. But this focus ignores the many other sectors of the labour market where women are also present, including the more skilled sectors. In this policy brief we aim to address this gap by highlighting the presence of skilled migrant women within migration streams. (Published 05/2009)
  • Policy Brief 12: How Healthy are Migrants? Findings and Implications Drawn from the Study of Immigrants to Germany
    By Oliver Razum and Jacob Spallek

    “Migration makes you sick; migration improves your health prospects”. The current debate on “migration and health” moves between these two opposing elements. Given the highly heterogeneous nature of migrants as a group, a still unsatisfactory situation as far as data is concerned and a lack of theoretical models for the evaluation of migrant health, resolving this contradiction is going to take time. The aims of this policy brief are to illustrate the current state of debate on the health of migrants and its determinants, and to demonstrate the obstacles that lie in the way of health care for migrants. (Published 04/2009)
  • Policy Brief 11: Networks and their Influence on Migration Policy
    By Tim Elrick

    Time and again politicians find that the goals of their migration policies are only partially achieved or not at all.  Scientists have already been observing this phenomenon for three decades and call this the “policy gap” hypothesis: inadequate implementation of political measures or the difficulties of controlling migratory movements result in migration policy, which relates particularly to poorly-qualified migrant workers, having unintended consequences. The reasons are to be found in political, economic and, ever-increasingly, as of late, in social factors determined by migration networks.
    This policy brief aims to show the efficacy of these migration networks through the example of Romanian migration to Spain, and demonstrates how various features of these networks undermine the intended migration policy goals. (Published 10/2008)
  • Policy Brief 10: Integration Policy at a Regional Level in Germany
    By Andreas Damelang and Max Steinhardt

    Since 2007 there has been a comprehensive battery of measures at the federal level aimed at integrating immigrants and their descendants: the “National Integration Plan”. Since just under one fifth of the foreign population in Germany lives in one of the country’s six biggest cities, and since there is tremendous leeway at city level in terms of implementing the regulations contained in the National Integration Plan, the present policy brief examines and describes the various concepts and measures for integrating foreign citizens in Germany’s six biggest cities: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart. (Published 4/2008)
  • Policy Brief 9: Irregular Migration in Europe – Doubts about the Effectiveness of Control Strategies
    By Dita Vogel and Norbert Cyrus

    Amongst the general public and politicians, irregular immigration to Europe is associated with a large number of fears: that countries are losing control over their borders, that social systems are overstretched by unauthorised use, that indigenous workers are being pushed out of the labour market, and that criminality is growing. As a result, controlling irregular migration is one of the priorities of the European Union’s migration policy.
    This dossier argues that the European Commission recommends extensive measures to control irregular immigration although there are justifiable doubts about the efficiency and effectiveness of these measures. On the basis of current research, we first provide a brief overview of the phenomenon as well as policy developments in selected member states. Against this background, we show that measures to control irregular migration play a central role in European migration policy. We then present a current European Commission proposal for a directive to tighten up employer sanctions, giving examples to reveal how the investment of finances and personnel in migration control is taking place without sufficient information about its efficiency, effectiveness and impact.  There is an urgent need to evaluate migration control at a European and national level.  (Published: 2/2008)
  • Policy Brief 8: Do Obligatory Civic Integration Courses for Immigrants in Western Europe further Integration?
    By Christian Joppke

    In recent years, there has been a growing chorus of calls for more coherent and efficient immigrant integration policies. In response to these calls, a variety of European states have introduced obligatory civic integration courses and tests for newcomers. This policy brief identifies common features of civic integration policies in place in the Netherlands, France and Germany, and contrasts them with corresponding policies recently put in place in the United Kingdom. It concludes with a discussion of how effective civic integration courses are in achieving their stated goals. (Published 10/2007)
  • Policy Brief 7: Migration and Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses
    By James Stewart, Darlene Clark and Paul F. Clark

    Healthcare systems around the world are in crisis. This policy brief begins by describing the extent of world-wide labour shortages in the healthcare sector as well as some general trends in the migration of healthcare workers. It then continues with a brief discussion of the factors which cause and influence this movement. It then addresses the costs and benefits of the migration of healthcare workers, in both the sending and receiving countries. Finally, the brief presents some policy options which could be implemented by sending and receiving countries in order to mitigate the negative consequences of migration in this sector while balancing the rights and the needs of the main actors involved: healthcare professionals, developed countries and developing countries. (Published 8/2007)
  • Policy Brief 6: Triggering Skilled Migration: Factors Influencing the Mobility of Early Career Scientists to Germany
    By Jessica Guth

    This policy brief examines the factors that influence the mobility of highly-skilled personnel to Germany, with a focus on early career and doctoral scientists in the natural sciences. It takes into account the legal frameworks in place at the national and EU level to attract the highly-skilled, as well as “mobility triggers”
    such as networks, undergraduate mobility and family contexts, which also have an effect on the decision to migrate. Finally, the brief offers some suggestions on how knowledge of these triggers could help Germany increase its inflow of highly-skilled people. (Published 2/2007)
  • Policy Brief 5: Remittances - A Bridge between Migration and Development?
    By Stefanie Hertlein and Florin Vadean

    Remittance refers to the portion of migrant income that, in the form of either funds or goods, flows back into the country of origin, primarily to support families back home. The greater share of these largely monetary flows benefits developing countries. The goal of this policy brief is the critical examination of remittances as a link between the migration and development debates. It begins with an account of the procedures and motives for such transfers as well as an overview of current trends and figures. It then addresses the importance of remittances with respect to poverty reduction, income distribution, spending habits, education, health, investment and growth as well as the national balance of payments in developing countries. Finally, the conclusion addresses the question of whether migration and the resulting flow of funds could evolve into a springboard for development in these countries. (Published 9/2006)
  • Policy Brief 4: EU Expansion and the Free Movement of Workers: Do Continued Restrictions Make Sense for Germany?
    By Michael Heinen and Anna Pegels

    On 1 May 2004, eight Central and Eastern European states joined the European Union (EU). In response to fears that a ‘flood’ of cheap labour from the new member states would lead to higher unemployment and falling wages in other parts of the EU, ‘transitional arrangements’ were introduced to allow member states to restrict the free movement of workers from the new member states for a period of up to seven years.
    Now that two years have passed since the restrictions were put in place, this policy brief looks at the number and characteristics of the labour migrants from the new member states who have taken up employment in the countries that chose to open their labour markets, with particular emphasis on the United Kingdom. It also considers the impact these migrants have had on the domestic economy and whether or not continued restrictions make sense for Germany. (Published 7/2006)
  • Policy Brief 3: The German “Green Card”
    By Holger Kolb

    The German "Green Card" was introduced in August 2000 in order to provide a non-bureaucratic means of bringing foreign experts in the information and communication technology (ICT) field to Germany. Even after its discontinuation at the end of 2004, the success of the initiative remains disputed. Critics have pointed to the low number of Green Cards issued to large, multinational companies as a sign of the programme’s failure. This policy brief proposes that the Green Card’s role in the broader debate on immigration in Germany and its positive effect on competition within the ICT sector itself must be taken into account when judging the programme’s success or failure. (Published 11/2005)
  • Policy Brief 2: Does Germany Need Labour Migration?
    By Christina Boswell and Thomas Straubhaar

    This policy brief considers whether Germany needs additional labour migration, despite the persistence of large-scale unemployment. Although there are now more than 5 million unemployed in Germany, many experts and employers are expressing concerns about current and future labour shortages, especially of highly qualified workers. The policy brief examines the causes of labour market shortages, and how acute they are in different sectors. In conclusion, the brief considers possible policy responses for addressing shortages, suggesting that immigration is indeed likely to be one indispensable tool for filling labour and skills gaps. (Published 4/2005)
  • Policy Brief 1: What Is The Dutch Integration Model, And Has It Failed?
    By Ines Michalowski

    The murder of the well-known Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004 sparked off a lively debate across Europe on the apparent failure of the Dutch multicultural approach to integration. For many years, the Netherlands had appeared to offer an example of good practice for the integration of immigrants. This policy brief analyses what characterised the Dutch approach, why it was seen as a model for other countries, and what events led to growing critique of the Dutch concept. It goes on to describe how this shift in the debate has influenced recent developments in integration policy in the Netherlands and Germany. (Published 4/2005)

Forthcoming

The following topics will be addressed in forthcoming policy briefs: Integration monitoring.

Migration Research Group
Netzwerk Migration in Europa e.V.
bpb - Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung