Spatial dynamics in refugeesā multidimensional integration
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Unequal trajectories examines the role of the residential environment and of residential mobility in the integration of two cohorts of refugees in Germany: those who arrived around the year 2015, and Ukrainians who arrived after February 24th 2022. Using innovative analytical approaches and detailed data from various sources, the project investigate what kinds of neighborhoods different refugee groups settle in, and how these neighborhoods, and mobility between them, shape the social, economic and cultural integration of adults and the development of children. The project generates evidence necessary for the design of effective refugee accommodation policies. Unequal trajectories in funded by the Leibnizgesellschaft under the SAW competition program.
We investigate how residential mobility and spatial context shape the multidimensional integration trajectories of refugees. Departing from neo-assimilation and cumulative (dis-)advantage theories, we develop a place-sensitive theory of (refugee) migrantsā stratified integration. We enrich the current understanding of context effects in refugeeās integration in three key areas:
1. We systematically investigate how (selective) residential mobility and exposure to places interact dynamically to shape refugeesā integration. 2. We focus on the heterogeneity of context effects across a) place-attributes, b) individual characteristics, and c) dimensions of integration. 3. In line with our theoretical approach, we pay particular attention to evidence for feedback-processes and increasing within-group stratification. Evidence on these points is necessary to shed light on the dynamic implications and the trade-offs of refugee integration policies suggested by prior studies.
Our empirical work centers on two groups: refugees from Middle Eastern countries who arrived in Germany between 2013 and 2019, and Ukrainians who fled to Germany after February 24, 2022, facing a different legal environment. The planned studies provide comprehensive analyses of multiple integration dimensionsālanguage, inter-ethnic contacts, sense of belonging, childrenās learning, labor market integrationāand of health and subjective well-being.
These analyses are enabled by a unique combination of longitudinal and geocoded experimental, survey and administrative data allowing for analyses at various spatial levels. We further enrich our data with granular information on neighborhood resources, such as (co-ethnic) immigrant enclave infrastructures (associations, migrant-led businesses, religious organizations). We employ a combination of causal, experimental and descriptive methodologies to test implications of the theory of stratified integration, and to evaluate its key components’ significance
Jonas Wiedner heads the Unequal trajectories project at the WZB. He studied in Berlin and New York and received his doctorate in Cologne. He has been a research fellow at the WZB’s Migration and Diversity Department since 2020. Jonas Wiedner researches the integration of migrants and their descendants. He is particularly interested in spatial processes and the connection between geographical and social mobility. In the Unequal trajectories project, he is mainly involved with determining the effect of relocations on integration outcomes. Further information: https://jonaswiedner.social/
Philipp Jaschke ā IAB
Philipp Jaschke is a research associate at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg in the research area of migration, integration and international labor market research. His research focuses on various aspects of the labor market integration of refugees, such as institutional framework conditions, social networks, discrimination and health status. In the Unequal trajectories project, he particularly analyzes the spatial mobility of refugees based on the Integrated Employment Biographies (IEB) of the IAB, which are based on social security data.
Yuliya Kosyakvoa is Professor of Migration Research at the Otto-Friedrich-University Bamberg and Head of the Research Department Migration and International Labour Studies in the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). Her research interests focus on labor market and employment research, migration and refugee research, international comparison, gender inequality, life course research, and interviewer fraud.
Gisela Will ā LIfBi
Dr. Gisela Will is head of the Migration Department at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi) in Bamberg. She conducts research into social and ethnic educational inequalities with a particular focus on the educational participation of refugee children and young people. Together with Prof. Dr. Marcel Helbig, she heads the UneTra project at LIfBI. Gisela Will investigates the role of small-area characteristics for the educational participation of refugee children and young people.
Prof. Dr. Marcel Helbig is Head of the Department Structures and Systems at the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories in Bamberg. He conducts research on social inequalities in the education system and socio-spatial inequalities in German cities. He manages the UneTra project at LIfBI together with Gisela Will . They investigate how refugees in Germany are distributed in small areas and what role small-area characteristics play in the educational success of refugee children. Further information: https://wzb.eu/de/personen/marcel-helbig and https://www.lifbi.de/de-de/Start/Institut/Personen/Person/account/201
Sarah George ā LIfBi
Sarah George is a postdoctoral researcher in the UneTra project. She is currently completing her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Hamburg and has previously worked as a research fellow at the WZB. Her research focuses on urban inequalities, including segregation and gentrification, with an emphasis on ethnic inequalities. In the UneTra project, Sarah will investigate how the spatial distribution of refugees within small local areas in Germany impacts their educational trajectories, with a particular focus on the implications of neighborhood characteristics in shaping the integration of refugees.
Tae Kyeong Meixner-Yun ā WZB
Tae Kyeong Meixner-Yun is a postdoctoral research fellow on the UneTra project at the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). Previously, he was a PhD researcher at the European University Institute, where he investigated how digitalised forms of social relations impact social cohesion, focusing on social networks and social status. He is currently involved in various projects within UneTra, researching the evolving spatial dynamics of refugee integration in Germany and the mechanisms contributing to their diverse trajectories.
Imprint
WZB Berlin Social Science Center Dr. Jonas Wiedner Reichpietschufer 50 D-10785 Berlin jonas.wiedner@wzb.eu T: +49(0)30 25491-477
