The share of the foreign-born population in the European Union quadrupled from 3.5% at the end of the 1990s to 14.9% in 2018. The majority of these foreign-born (39.7 out of 63.3 million) are non-EU nationals (Eurostat 2018), while the recent increase in people seeking humanitarian protection has only contributed to the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of European societies and communities. While immigration and diversity bring potential benefits – both to immigrants and to receiving countries – diversity is also widely believed to be associated with integration challenges. On the one hand, immigrants and their descendants often face higher unemployment rates; when employed, they often work part-time in low-skilled and low-paid sectors (OECD 2018). On the other hand, increased immigration has led to rising anti-immigrant sentiments among majority populations, exemplified by the rise of populist far-right parties and anti-refugee politics and rhetoric.
To address the challenges brought by the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of European populations, there is an urgent need for a systematic and rigorous account of the effects and effectiveness of migration and integration policies implemented at different levels of governance (i.e., supranational, national, regional, and local). Moreover, to provide solutions and recommendations for more effective policies, more attention is needed for integration challenges due to demographic (i.e., gender, age, and country of origin) and socioeconomic vulnerabilities (i.e., education, health status, and legal status).
While the EU has sought to support its member states in developing and strengthening integration policies, to this date, no study has systematically addressed how these more target-specific policies and programs influence the integration outcomes of more vulnerable immigrants. Besides, it is not clear which challenges emerge when different actors (e.g., public vs. private; local vs. national) are involved in implementing such policies and programs. This Research Topic will feature articles devoted to comparative and single case explorations of why and how migration and integration policies influence immigrants' structural and socio-cultural integration. The possible integration outcomes include, among others, labor market and educational outcomes, language acquisition, ethnic segregation, social and cultural participation, citizenship acquisition as well as life satisfaction. The contributions may consider policy elements such as assessing skills and recognizing formal qualifications, civic integration and language courses, asylum procedure, and access to public services such as childcare, health care, and (social) housing. Contributions focusing on the mechanisms of migration and integration policies and those addressing immigrants' disadvantages due to demographic and socioeconomic vulnerabilities are particularly encouraged. We welcome scholars representing different disciplinary and methodological perspectives to submit original research papers and review articles related to this theme. Contributions from all geographic regions are welcomed.
The share of the foreign-born population in the European Union quadrupled from 3.5% at the end of the 1990s to 14.9% in 2018. The majority of these foreign-born (39.7 out of 63.3 million) are non-EU nationals (Eurostat 2018), while the recent increase in people seeking humanitarian protection has only contributed to the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of European societies and communities. While immigration and diversity bring potential benefits – both to immigrants and to receiving countries – diversity is also widely believed to be associated with integration challenges. On the one hand, immigrants and their descendants often face higher unemployment rates; when employed, they often work part-time in low-skilled and low-paid sectors (OECD 2018). On the other hand, increased immigration has led to rising anti-immigrant sentiments among majority populations, exemplified by the rise of populist far-right parties and anti-refugee politics and rhetoric.
To address the challenges brought by the growing ethnic and cultural diversity of European populations, there is an urgent need for a systematic and rigorous account of the effects and effectiveness of migration and integration policies implemented at different levels of governance (i.e., supranational, national, regional, and local). Moreover, to provide solutions and recommendations for more effective policies, more attention is needed for integration challenges due to demographic (i.e., gender, age, and country of origin) and socioeconomic vulnerabilities (i.e., education, health status, and legal status).
While the EU has sought to support its member states in developing and strengthening integration policies, to this date, no study has systematically addressed how these more target-specific policies and programs influence the integration outcomes of more vulnerable immigrants. Besides, it is not clear which challenges emerge when different actors (e.g., public vs. private; local vs. national) are involved in implementing such policies and programs. This Research Topic will feature articles devoted to comparative and single case explorations of why and how migration and integration policies influence immigrants' structural and socio-cultural integration. The possible integration outcomes include, among others, labor market and educational outcomes, language acquisition, ethnic segregation, social and cultural participation, citizenship acquisition as well as life satisfaction. The contributions may consider policy elements such as assessing skills and recognizing formal qualifications, civic integration and language courses, asylum procedure, and access to public services such as childcare, health care, and (social) housing. Contributions focusing on the mechanisms of migration and integration policies and those addressing immigrants' disadvantages due to demographic and socioeconomic vulnerabilities are particularly encouraged. We welcome scholars representing different disciplinary and methodological perspectives to submit original research papers and review articles related to this theme. Contributions from all geographic regions are welcomed.