Annual Report

Countering demographic decline – How Germany’s shrinking universities attract and retain international students

Study | March 2019

More students than ever before are studying for a degree in Germany. Nevertheless, low birth rates and the depopulation of certain regions of the country are already leading to a drop in student enrolment at some German universities and universities of applied sciences. A number of these shrinking universities are bucking this trend by taking steps to attract international students. The SVR’s Research Unit conducted a study to find out what shrinking universities can do and are doing to attract international students, to prepare them for their courses of study, and then retain them in the local labour market once they graduate.

Alternatives to asylum? Legal migration channels to Germany for thirdcountry nationals not in need of protection

Study | December 2018

Low- and medium-skilled third-country nationals still have very few legal mobility options. The study analyses both the scope of and framework conditions for existing entry channels to Germany for this group of migrants and it outlines current cooperation mechanisms with countries of origin. It also makes recommendations for action for the relevant actors in politics and administration when it comes to designing future legal migration options for work and training and examines the instruments available for controlling these processes.

Migrantsʼ political party preferences: Changing patterns

To The Point | September 2018

(Only available in German)

The data in the SVRʼs 2018 Integration Barometer show that over the past two years the political affiliation of people with a migration background has shifted – in some cases quite considerably. What the analysis shows is that the growing group of migrants in Germany are no longer clearly aligned to any particular political party. Traditional political affiliations are weakening. The 2016 finding that the majority of people with a migration background tend to vote for left-of-centre parties no longer applies.

So many questions – too many answers? The transparency of the German asylum and admissions system for refugees

Policy Brief | June 2018

One of the key factors for integration to succeed is how well refugees understand what regulations and procedures apply and which bodies are involved in the asylum and admissions process. The Policy Brief, which is based on an interview study of asylum seekers carried out by the SVR Research Unit and the Robert Bosch Stiftung, concludes that refugees know too little about the asylum and admissions system. The Policy Brief examines why that is the case and how information is currently provided to refugees. It also includes recommendations for action for all those involved in refugee integration, the aim being to support refugees in understanding the asylum and admissions system and to thus empower them in this process.

EASO Reloaded: Can The New EU Asylum Agency Guarantee A Standardised System of Protection?

To The Point | June 2018

It is unclear whether the EU will agree on a comprehensive reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) by the end of the current legislative period in 2019. Some key proposals are still being negotiated. However, one aspect of the planned reforms is confirmed – the establishment of a new European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) with increased powers to bring the work of asylum authorities in member states into alignment and to ‘Europeanise‘ the asylum system as a whole. This is not to say that the new agency will instantly be able to resolve all the difficulties experienced by member states in implementing EU legislation. But the EUAA has the potential to help member states make decisions more consistently in future, developing shared standards for assessment to guide government organisations in their task. This is the conclusion arrived at by the Expert Council of German Foundations on Integration and Migration (SVR) Research Unit in its current summary report.

What Next for Global Refugee Policy? Opportunities and Limits of Resettlement at Global, European and National Levels

Policy Brief | June 2018

Only a small minority of refugees worldwide currently has access to resettlement programmes. In this present crisis in global refugee policy, resettlement is nonetheless a promising approach to dealing with refugee situations. The Policy Brief analyses the state of play as regards the resettlement system in Germany, Europe and at global level, as well as the development and implementation of alternative admission pathways such as humanitarian programmes and private sponsorship schemes. Based on this analysis, the Policy Brief discusses whether resettlement is an alternative or addition to territorial asylum and how alternative pathways can fit into the mix of available admission procedures, and it presents recommendations for action in regard to developing resettlement policy.

Dead End Schools? Refugees at Segregated Schools in Germany

Study | March 2018

Since 2015, German schools have taken on approximately 130,000 young refugees as students. Many of them, especially in the major cities, attend what are known as "segregated schools", where most of the pupils come from socially disadvantaged homes and have migration backgrounds. To find out more about the learning experience of refugees in the German education system, the SVR Research Unit carried out a study of how students are typically assigned to schools. The study took the form of interviews with teachers at 56 selected secondary schools, all of which could be described as "segregated", in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Hesse, Hamburg and North Rhine-Westphalia. The teachers, who had trained with the not-for-profit educational organisation Teach First Deutschland, were asked questions relating to the ways in which students are allocated to schools, school-internal segregation and their experiences teaching young refugees. Based on the findings from this study, the SVR Research Unit has now drawn up recommendations for action to promote the educational integration of young refugees. The study was funded by the Stiftung Mercator.