The comparative analysis of integration policies in 56 countries: Emerging dimensions and approaches

Abstract

Migrant integration and related policies have been the object of a large amount of research. Starting with the famous three-fold typology of the ‘90s (Brubaker, 1992), the debate has developed over the last three decades around the possibility to identify models vis-à-vis and beyond trends of convergence (Joppke 2007, Finotelli and Michalowski 2012). Despite advancements and refinements, the debate has remained mainly confined, empirically and theoretically, to the Western world and mainly focused on citizenship (Ponzo, 2019; Schinkel, 2018). The paper presented in this webinar adopts a global perspective to identify the main policy approaches to migrant integration. We analyse the integration policy frameworks of Western and non-western countries. We employ latest MIPEX data (Migrant Integration Policy Index, Solano & Huddleston, 2020) on integration policies in 8 policy areas of integration (e.g., labour market, education, health, etc.), covering 56 countries over 6 continents in the period 2014-2019. By means of principal component analysis, we first identify the underlying dimensions of integration policy (i.e., basic rights; equal opportunities; long-term settlement). Then, based on these dimensions, and how favourable countries’ policies are on each of them, we identify four approaches to migrant integration: comprehensive integration (e.g. English-speaking traditional destination countries and Scandinavian countries); temporary integration (e.g., European traditional destination countries); subordinate integration (Latin American countries and Eastern European countries and South Africa); settlement without integration (new non-European destination countries, e.g. China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, UAE).