Transnational Perspectives on Migration and Integration (TRANSMIT)

DeZIM Research Community

Project team:

Principal investigators: Prof. Dr. Herbert Brücker (IAB/BIM); Prof. Dr. Ulrike Kluge (Charité/BIM); Prof. Dr. Naika Foroutan (BIM/DeZIM-I); Prof. Dr. Ruud Koopmans (WZB); Dr. Ramona Rischke (DeZIM-I); Prof. Dr. Helen Schwenken (IMIS)

Project team members: Judith Altrogge (IMIS); Tamara Bogatzki (WZB); Jérôme Dolling (WZB); Dr. Irene Pañeda; Fernández (WZB, Research Coordinator); Lidwina Gundacker (IAB); Laura Hertner (BIM); Philipp Jung (IMIS); Nora Kühnert (BIM); Dr. Daniel Meierrieks (WZB); Dr. Simon Ruhnke (BIM, Projektkoordination); Julia Stier (WZB); Dr. Nader Talebi (BIM); Daniel Tuki (WZB)

Former members: Dr. Daniel Auer (WZB); Prof. Dr. Frank Kalter (MZES); Dr. Julia Kleinewiese (MZES); Judith Köhler (BIM); Dr. Max Schaub (WZB); Dr. Hamza Soufane (IMIS)

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Project description:

The interaction of migration and integration processes are rarely studied as a coherent phenomenon, although knowledge and information about migrants in Germany and their socio-economic integration and participation is constantly growing. To put it simply, comprehensive studies exist in parallel on multi-dimensional causes of migration on the one hand and social and economic integration in destination countries on the other, but there is little knowledge about how complex migration processes, for example in countries of origin and transit, affect the integration of migrants in destination countries such as Germany. Conversely, little is known about how different migration trajectories and integration experiences in destination countries affect future migration aspirations along migration routes.

The TRANSMIT project within the DeZIM Research Community aims to fill this gap by building a long-term oriented and integrated data infrastructure that collects and systematically links quantitative and qualitative data in origin, transit and destination countries. Such data structures are necessary to investigate transnational interactions of migration processes and integration experiences in countries of origin, transit and destination in cross-sectional as well as longitudinal analyses.

Regionally, TRANSMIT concentrates on two regions of origin and transit that are central to Europe and Germany: West Africa (especially Senegal and Gambia, Morocco and Nigeria) and the MENA region (especially Lebanon and Turkey). The data collected includes (potential) migrants before, during and after their migration, as well as the non-migrant population and relevant actors from politics and civil society. Thus, individual and family influences, region-specific characteristics and political processes are taken into account.

The research within the TRANSMIT research network is structured along three central themes: 1) (self-)selection effects along migration routes, 2) dynamics of social cohesion and social negotiation processes, and 3) realities of life and well-being of (potential) migrants. By working on the three thematic areas together, complex interrelationships can be identified and investigated. The following questions are examples of this:

• What dynamics and framework conditions interact to make some people migrate or want to migrate, while others do not under similar socio-economic circumstances?
• How is the selectivity of migration desires and opportunities related to integration processes and social cohesion?
• What role do racism and experiences of discrimination of different population groups play, how pronounced are these experiences in our study contexts and what transnational connections can be identified?
• How do different transnational family constellations affect the migration process as well as participation opportunities and integration processes in Germany?
• Which social and socio-structural differences between migrants from one region of origin influence participation opportunities and integration trajectories (e.g. single mothers, different forms of employment or young people who are socially active)?
• What intersectional forms of disadvantages, constraints to action and needs for support can be derived from this?

In 2023, the Migration Department of the DeZIM Institute will officially join the TRANSMIT research network and support MENA research, especially on the situation of Afghan refugees in Turkey, and further strengthen the networking of migration research within the research community. With the extension of the project until the end of 2024, the continuation of the quantitative longitudinal surveys is possible. Thus, TRANSMIT 2023 is working on the planned implementation of the second survey in Nigeria, the third survey in Senegal and The Gambia, and the fourth wave each in Turkey and Lebanon of the surveys started in 2019. In The Gambia and in the Morocco-Spain transit corridor, qualitative data sets will also be further expanded in 2023. In addition, new focus surveys will be conducted in Germany: In spring 2023, the first representative data collection among West African migrants will be carried out in Germany. In addition, qualitative data on transnational ties of migrants from the Middle East in Germany will be collected.

The research focuses on the effects of discrimination, local and transnational crisis experiences, gender dynamics and lack of health care on migration and return decisions and the consequences of deportation cooperation in the context of origin and for civil society activism. As the most internationally oriented project of the DeZIM-FG, TRANSMIT also strives to further expand international collaborations of the research community and to further strengthen transnational perspectives in the German discourse on migration and integration through knowledge transfer offers.

Participating collaborative partners: Berlin Institute for Empirical Integration and Migration Research (BIM); DeZIM Institute, Department of Migration (DeZIM-I); Institute for Employment Research (IAB); Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS); Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES); Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB, collaborative coordination)

Funding: Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (Third-party funding)

Cooperation partner:

Charité – Berlin University of Medicine