Policy Briefs

Vera Hanewinkel

The Emigration of Highly Qualified German Citizens of Turkish Descent to Turkey

The fall of 2011 was marked by the 50th anniversary of the agreement on the recruitment of Turkish workers (Gastarbeiter or “guest workers”) by the Federal Republic of Germany. The study focused in this connection on the migratory movements from Turkey to Germany which began with the signing of the recruitment agreement on October 30, 1961 and continued even after the recruitment stop in 1973. Considerably less attention has been paid, on the other hand, to the migration which has taken place in the opposite direction. Currently, more people are in fact migrating from Germany to Turkey than the other way around. In 2010 the Federal Republic recorded a negative migration balance vis-à-vis Turkey of 5,862 individuals. Weiter...

Islamischer Religionsunterricht an einer Schule in Stuttgart.

Susanne Worbs

Integration in plain figures? Approaches to integration monitoring in Germany

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). Weiter...

Thomas Hummitzsch

Climate change and migration

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. Weiter...

Schüler an einer süddeutschen Realschule.

Daniel Naujoks

Dual citizenship. The discourse on ethnic and political boundary-making in Germany

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. Weiter...

Obwohl sie einen bedeutenden Anteil an der Erwerbsbevölkerung ausmachen, haben Frauen große Schwierigkeiten am Arbeitsmarkt.

Eleonore Kofman, Parvati Raghuram

Skilled Female Labour Migration

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. Weiter...

Migranten sind häufig in sozioökonomischer Hinsicht benachteiligt. Sie wohnen und arbeiten beispielsweise oft unter schlechteren Bedingungen als die nicht migrierte Mehrheitsbevölkerung.

Oliver Razum, Jacob Spallek

How Healthy are Migrants? Findings and Implications Drawn from the Study of Immigrants to Germany

"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. Weiter...

Rumänische Frauen stehen vor dem Migrationsbüro in Bukarest Schlange, um sich für eine Stelle in Spanien zu bewerben.

Tim Elrick

Networks and their Influence on Migration Policy

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. Weiter...

Szene bei der Eröffnung der größten Moschee Deutschlands in Duisburg im Oktober 2008.

Andreas Damelang, Max Steinhardt

Integration Policy at a Regional Level in Germany

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. Weiter...

Demonstration für die Rechte illegaler Einwanderer unter dem Eiffelturm in Paris.

Dita Vogel, Norbert Cyrus

Irregular Migration in Europe – Doubts about the Effectiveness of Control Strategies

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. Weiter...

Erklärtes Ziel der Integrationskurse ist u.a., Arbeitslosigkeit und Abhängigkeit von Sozialleistungen bei Zuwanderern zu verringern.

Christian Joppke

Do Obligatory Civic Integration Courses for Immigrants in Western Europe further Integration?

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. Weiter...

Durch die Abwerbung von Fachkräften wird weniger wohlhabenden Staaten die Möglichkeit entzogen, eine angemessene medizinische Versorgung ihrer Bürgerinnen und Bürger zu gewährleisten.

James Stewart, Darlene Clark, Paul F. Clark

Migration and Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals: Causes, Consequences and Policy Responses

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. Weiter...

Die Mobilität von Hochqualifizierten ist stärker von individuellen Erwägungen geprägt: bezüglich der Möglichkeiten, in ihrem Fachgebiet effektiv und erfolgreich zu arbeiten, sowie ihrer familiären und persönlichen Lebensumstände.

Jessica Guth

Triggering Skilled Migration: Factors Influencing the Mobility of Early Career Scientists to Germany

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. Weiter...

Kunden stehen im Januar 2010 Schlange in einem Geldtransferbüro im Stadtviertel "Little Haiti" in Miami.

Stefanie Hertlein, Florin Vadean

Remittances – A Bridge between Migration and Development?

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) Weiter...

Polnische Arbeitsuchende stehen im August 2006 auf einer Jobmesse in Warschau an, um sich für Stellen in Irland zu bewerben.

Michael Heinen, Anna Pegels

EU Expansion and the Free Movement of Workers: Do Continued Restrictions Make Sense for Germany?

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. Weiter...

Ein indonesischer Computerspezialist präsentiert im Jahr 2000 bei einer Pressekonferenz mit dem damaligen Arbeitsminister Walter Riester seine "Green Card".

Holger Kolb

The German "Green Card"

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. Weiter...

Polnische Erntehelferinnen ernten Erdbeeren auf einem Feld bei Leipzig.

Christina Boswell, Thomas Straubhaar

Does Germany Need Labour Migration?

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. Weiter...

Schülerinnen und Schüler im niederländischen Utrecht.

Ines Michalowski

What Is The Dutch Integration Model, And Has It Failed?

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. Weiter...