International Comparison of Immigration Policy
What differentiates the immigration policy in various countries and how does it change over time? What effects does it have on the pattern of immigration and the integration of immigrants? These and other questions have been studied since May in the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Comparative Immigration Policy.”
Twenty-seven OECD countries were studied. Their immigration policies are compared using the help of various indicators. For this, a new set of indicators is being developed that includes not only formal rules like labor migration and asylum policy, but also their application and control. To date, hardly any quantitative studies exist that include a large number of countries and analyze immigration policy and its causes and effects on an internationally comparative level.
The group is directed by Dr. Marc Helbling. The political scientist has been conducting research at the WZB since 2009, most recently in the department for Migration, Integration and Transnationalization. He was a guest researcher from January through April 2011 at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University.