Integration Department

• Political regulation and integration processes: The focus area researches the state control of integration and evaluates the effect of state interventions.
• Integration dynamics in the context of transnationalization: The focus is on the analysis of the effects of transnational family structures on integration processes and the political handling of these.
• Generations, family and gender: This area examines the intergenerational and gender-specific integration trajectories of immigrant families.

• Conceptual and practical work on the term "migration background" as well as advising the public administration on this topic.(Child interpreters - cultural and language mediation in school contexts, understanding politics, trusting politicians, participating in politics, cross-generational integration processes)
• Work on the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to border closures and the effects on the organization of care and the impact of affected families. (Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic-related travel restrictions on the affected families in Germany, care in times of the pandemic)
• Investigation of the living situation of women, especially single parents, as well as ideas of masculinity and femininity among young people.(Cross-generational integration processes, How many forced marriages are there in Germany?, Friendship, partnership and family)
• Establishing a transnational perspective on the lifeworlds of people with a history of migration; among other things by developing new items and feeding them into surveys (e.g. DeZIM.panel and FReDA).
• Acquisition and implementation of projects for national integration reporting.(First report on indicator-based integration monitoring, integration reports 2024 and 2026)

In the area of qualitative methods, the focus is on developing skills in the field of visual, creative, art-based and participatory research instruments. These serve as a supplement to traditional survey methods such as narrative or expert interviews.