Conséquences transversales

Mig-HealthCare will produce a roadmap to effective community based care models to improve physical and mental health care services, support the inclusion and participation of migrants and refugees in European communities and reduce health inequalities. Through the roadmap Mig-HealthCare will test implementation feasibility of community based care models in different settings and countries through pilot testing and assessment. Mig-HealthCare responds to all the current Work Program priorities and especially to the ones regarding the creation of innovative, efficient and sustainable health systems and facilitating access to better and safer healthcare services. Mig-HealthCare implements a participatory approach and recognizes differences between refugee/migrant groups and MS. The roadmap and toolbox will include guidelines and tools using ICT technology to reorient health care services to a community level. It will create networks of cooperation on all aspects that influence community health care including mental health and community integration characteristics. The project methodology is participatory and includes focus groups/interviews and surveys with all the target groups (vulnerable migrants/refugees, service providers, local community stakeholders), review of the current state of the art, collection and assessment of best practice, the development of an algorithm & prediction model, pilot implementation and creation of evidence based guidance and recommendations. Mig-HealthCare will: (1) Describe the current physical and mental health profile of vulnerable migrants/refugees including needs, expectations and capacities of service providers (2) Develop a comprehensive roadmap/toolbox for the implementation of community based care models including prediction models, best practice examples, algorithms and tailored made health and mental health materials (3) Pilot test and assess community care models and produce guidance and recommendations.

The integration of migrants is becoming an increasingly important question in Belarus. As socio-economic cooperation between Belarus and other countries is developing the list of participants in the integration process of migrants is growing. For several decades, the traditional participants were citizens from neighboring countries: Russia, Ukraine and Poland. At the present there is also, though, rapid growth in migration flows from other areas, particularly from the south: Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey and the countries of South Asia including China and Vietnam. This paper presents a study of the scope and structure of the main participants in the integration process, in terms of country of birth and country of citizenship. The main data sources are the census, data on vital and education statistics. The results suggest that integration in Belarus is not a serious problem, being similar to other social processes. One of the key explanations for this is the influx of people from the former Soviet Union, above all, those who lived in Belarus themselves or had relatives there. The integration of migrants in Belarus is most evident in the labor market. The most common areas of integration for labor migrants from the older migrant nations are in industry, agriculture and trade. Citizens from the new areas are, on the other hand, concentrated in trade, health and education. The new migrants include more young males with higher-level skills. Among these, more than half are professionals. The vast majority of the new migrants come to Belarus to pursue higher education or under the guise of education. The old trends mean greater integration dispersion in terms of employment, skill levels and education, but also in terms of age. The study emphasizes the need for a special policy for the adaptation and integration of migrants, something particularly important for citizens from unusual areas due to differences in culture, language and religion. Special attention should be paid to the knowledge of Russian and Belarusian, the possibility of buying or renting housing, the use of free education and health care services, etc. At this point in Belarus there are no obstacles for migrants wishing to integrate, but there are no authorities specifically allocated for that purpose. Self-integration for these migrants is a problem which will take a good deal of time to work itself out.

The project aims to facilitate the transition from institutional to community-based care and integrated services for migrants and refugees that will ensure health equality and promote social inclusion. The overall objective of Mig-HealthCare is to improve health care access for vulnerable migrants and refugees, support their inclusion and participation in European communities and reduce health inequalities. Mig-HealthCare will produce effective community-based care models, pilot tested in different contexts and countries, which will focus on health promotion and prevention. It will develop guidelines and tools to reorient health care services to a community level. The project is implemented by a consortium of Universities, national authorities and NGOs from ten countries across Europe, with diverse experience on issues of public health and integration of refugees and migrants.

The integration of migrants is becoming an increasingly important question in Belarus. As socio-economic cooperation between Belarus and other countries is developing the list of participants in the integration process of migrants is growing. For several decades, the traditional participants were citizens from neighboring countries: Russia, Ukraine and Poland. At the present there is also, though, rapid growth in migration flows from other areas, particularly from the south: Turkmenistan, Lebanon, Syria, Iran, Turkey and the countries of South Asia including China and Vietnam. This paper presents a study of the scope and structure of the main participants in the integration process, in terms of country of birth and country of citizenship. The main data sources are the census, data on vital and education statistics. The results suggest that integration in Belarus is not a serious problem, being similar to other social processes. One of the key explanations for this is the influx of people from the former Soviet Union, above all, those who lived in Belarus themselves or had relatives there. The integration of migrants in Belarus is most evident in the labor market. The most common areas of integration for labor migrants from the older migrant nations are in industry, agriculture and trade. Citizens from the new areas are, on the other hand, concentrated in trade, health and education. The new migrants include more young males with higher-level skills. Among these, more than half are professionals. The vast majority of the new migrants come to Belarus to pursue higher education or under the guise of education. The old trends mean greater integration dispersion in terms of employment, skill levels and education, but also in terms of age. The study emphasizes the need for a special policy for the adaptation and integration of migrants, something particularly important for citizens from unusual areas due to differences in culture, language and religion. Special attention should be paid to the knowledge of Russian and Belarusian, the possibility of buying or renting housing, the use of free education and health care services, etc. At this point in Belarus there are no obstacles for migrants wishing to integrate, but there are no authorities specifically allocated for that purpose. Self-integration for these migrants is a problem which will take a good deal of time to work itself out.

Η παρούσα έκθεση εξετάζει διεξοδικά την ένταξη μεταναστών και προσφύγων στην Ελλάδα κατά την τελευταία δεκαπενταετία, εστιάζοντας στις επιπτώσεις που είχε η οικονομική και προσφυγική κρίση. Η ανάλυση καλύπτει τέσσερις κρίσιμους τομείς: την αγορά εργασίας, την απόδοση ιθαγένειας, την εκπαίδευση και τη συμμετοχή στα κοινά. Στο πλαίσιο της παρούσας μελέτης διαπιστώνεται ότι η οικονομική κρίση έπληξε ιδιαίτερα τον μεταναστευτικό πληθυσμό, οδηγώντας σε σημαντική μείωση της απασχόλησης και αύξηση της ανεργίας. Παράλληλα, καταγράφεται μείωση του αριθμού των αδειών διαμονής, υποδηλώνοντας την αποχώρηση μεταναστών ή την απώλεια του νόμιμου καθεστώτος τους. Όσον αφορά στον τομέα της ιθαγένειας, οι πρόσφατες νομοθετικές αλλαγές και η αυστηροποίηση των κριτηρίων έχουν δυσχεράνει την απόκτησή αυτής, ιδιαίτερα για τη δεύτερη γενιά μεταναστών. Στην εκπαίδευση, τα στοιχεία από το πρόγραμμα PISA καταδεικνύουν σημαντικές διαφορές στις επιδόσεις μεταξύ γηγενών και μαθητών μεταναστευτικής καταγωγής, με τη διαφορά να διευρύνεται για τη δεύτερη γενιά μεταναστών. Αναφορικά με τη συμμετοχή στα κοινά, τονίζεται η περιορισμένη λειτουργία των Συμβουλίων Ένταξης Μεταναστών και Προσφύγων (ΣΕΜΠ) και οι προκλήσεις που αντιμετωπίζουν τα Κέντρα Ένταξης Μεταναστών (ΚΕΜ). Συμπέρασμα της παρούσας έκθεσης είναι ότι η ένταξη δεν έχει αποτελέσει προτεραιότητα της ελληνικής μεταναστευτικής πολιτικής, με τις προσπάθειες να επικεντρώνονται κυρίως στη διαχείριση των συνόρων και του προσφυγικού ζητήματος, και με την έμφαση να δίνεται στην ένταξη των προσφύγων, παραβλέποντας τις ανάγκες του μεταναστευτικού πληθυσμού. Στο πλαίσιο αυτό προτείνονται συγκεκριμένες πολιτικές παρεμβάσεις για κάθε έναν από τους τέσσερις κρίσιμους τομείς. Στην αγορά εργασίας, προτείνεται η επανένταξη μεταναστών που έχασαν το νόμιμο καθεστώς τους κατά τη διάρκεια της οικονομικής κρίσης και η καταπολέμηση της παράτυπης εργασίας. Όσον αφορά την απόδοση ιθαγένειας, συστήνεται η επανεξέταση των οικονομικών κριτηρίων και ο επανασχεδιασμός του τεστ πολιτογράφησης. Στον τομέα της εκπαίδευσης, προτείνεται η ενίσχυση της σχολικής φοίτησης για παιδιά προσφύγων και η βελτίωση των τάξεων υποδοχής, ενώ αναφορικά με τη συμμετοχή στα κοινά, συστήνεται η ενδυνάμωση των ΣΕΜΠ και των ΚΕΜ. Επιπλέον, προτείνεται η αναβάθμιση της σημασίας της ένταξης στο χαρτοφυλάκιο της μεταναστευτικής πολιτικής, η συμπερίληψη του μεταναστευτικού πληθυσμού στην Εθνική Στρατηγική για την Ένταξη, και η βελτίωση της λειτουργίας του προγράμματος HELIOS. Επιπλέον, τονίζεται η ανάγκη για μια ολοκληρωμένη προσέγγιση που θα αντιμετωπίζει τις προκλήσεις ένταξης τόσο των προσφύγων όσο και των μεταναστών, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη τις μακροπρόθεσμες επιπτώσεις στην κοινωνική συνοχή και την οικονομική ανάπτυξη της χώρας.

The paper deals with the problems of integration in migration processes taking place in Azerbaijan. The paper, after defining integration, distinguishes between the problems of migrant integration in Azerbaijan and the integration of Azerbaijani migrants in other countries. In the former case we speak of refugees’ and forced migrants’ adaptation, as well as the adaptation of Azerbaijan citizens returning home from other countries. But Azerbaijan has also recently experienced an inflow of thousands of labour migrants, principally from Asian countries. The paper considers the difference in the approaches taken by the Republic’s authorities to various migrant categories. The problems of Azerbaijani emigrants, differing considerably in respect of a recipient country, are considered as well. Azerbaijani migrants, have lived and worked, sometimes for years, in Russia and CIS countries. Yet they have never lost ties with their homeland and they have been attentively following its socio-political developments with an apparent desire to return at the first signs of positive changes there. This meant an unwillingness to take on, say, Russian socio-cultural patterns or, for that matter, those of any other post-Soviet community, including local languages and local behavioral norms. Much was here conditioned by the Soviet past. The situation of Azerbaijani migrants in European countries is different: there is a language barrier, a visa regime and strict immigration rules, whereas the labour market is well provided with migrants from numerous countries. There Azerbaijani migrants were faced with a dilemma: if they chose to leave for these countries this meant leaving their country for good together with their families and they had to think of integration into local communities. For Azerbaijanis not adapted to live in a diaspora and in isolation from their homeland this posed a serious problem. Therefore, a decision to migrate to European countries was taken only by those who were self-confident, had the necessary skills and knowledge, including the relevant language skills, and by those who were forced to take such a step.

Ziel dieses Projektes ist es, den Zusammenhang zwischen sozialer Integration und sowohl physischem als auch psychischem Wohlbefinden von Migrantinnen und Migranten zu untersuchen. Besonders soll dabei die Rolle von Gesundheitsverhaltensweisen berücksichtigt werden. Dieses Projekt verbindet gesundheitspsychologische Theorie und Methoden mit soziologischer Theorie und Methoden zur Erforschung von Integration. Wohlbefinden ist ein wichtiger Aspekt bei der Integration von Migrantinnen und Migranten in die aufnehmende Gesellschaft, der vermehrt Forschung anregt. Beobachtende Feldstudien und experimentelle Laborstudien haben gezeigt, dass Gesundheitsverhalten – wie körperliche Aktivität – physisches und psychisches Wohlbefinden verbessern können. In diesem Projekt untersuchen wir in wie fern, durch welche Mechanismen und unter welchen Bedingungen diese Verhaltensweisen den Stress, den Menschen die kürzlich immigriert sind erleben, abpuffern können. Darüber hinaus sind alltägliche Gesundheitsverhaltensweisen wie Essen aber auch einige Arten körperlicher Aktivität sehr soziale Verhalten. Wir sind besonders daran interessiert, wie soziale Netzwerke diese Gesundheitsverhaltensweisen beeinflussen und umgekehrt. Wir möchten untersuchen wie diese gegenseitigen Einflüsse von sozialer Integration und Gesundheitsverhaltensweisen langfristig zusammenhängen. Ein besonderer Fokus wird auf der Frage liegen, ob ethnisch homogene im Gegensatz zu gemischten Netzwerken unterschiedliche indirekte Effekte auf Wohlbefinden via Gesundheitsverhaltensweisen haben. Wir untersuchen diese Fragen sowohl mit umfragebasierten und experimentellen Methoden.

The work here is of both a theoretical and an applied character. The authors pay particular attention to understanding what the integration of migrants means and how it corresponds to the terms assimilation and adaptation. They also offer a classification of complete and partial integration. For Russia, the paper retraces how the disregard of migrant integration in the 1990s and the first half of the 2000s was gradually replaced – after a delay – by an understanding that these were closely interrelated spheres of State activities. This was particularly true for a country like Russia, which annually receives millions of migrants, both for permanent and temporary stays. The experience of Russia clearly demonstrates that the dissociation of the State from this important sphere of internal policy leads to ethnic tension, erosion of tolerance in society, alienation of migrants from Russian society, self-isolation, and open conflicts between migrants and local residents. Therefore, now that the integration of migrants has been understood to be an important issue in Russia, the elaboration and realization of the policy of integration of migrants is complicated by an extremely unfavorable atmosphere of xenophobia and a politically-loaded perception of migration. The Russian policy of migrant integration is evaluated in respect of the most privileged category of immigrants: Russian “compatriots”. The adaptation policy of temporary labour migrants is analyzed in the context of the Russian State’s 2012 initiatives. The authors also argue out the integration and the anti-integration potential of ethnic diasporas when – as in present-day Russia – the infrastructure for the admission and integration of migrants has not been properly developed.

‘Displacing Deviance…’ is a state-of-the-art research project into transnational family practices. It examines ‘disciplinary return’ - young second-generation migrants sent ‘home’ to their countries of heritage by their parents as a disciplinary measure – a widespread practice which has not yet been the focus of direct research. Second-generation ties to the homeland are critical to issues of integration, yet understanding of second-generation transnationalism is thin. Examining ‘disiplinary return’ within the Nigerian diaspora will establish new, in-depth understanding of how migrants navigate transnational structures of opportunity and constraint through their family practice. This will shed light on the relationship between socio-economic challenges faced in ‘host’ countries, and how migrants build loyalties and identities in a transnational context. It will produce findings of relevance to policy concerns about societal challenges around multicultural integration and minority youth in the education and criminal justice sectors. The research approach is innovative, answering calls for youth-centric, multi-sited, and intergenerational research into transnational families, thus far mostly studied via first-generation migrant parents in single locations. Qualitative research with migrant parents and youth, and participatory research with migrant youth, will be undertaken in the USA, Nigeria and the UK. Supervision by a world expert, Dr Coe at Rutgers, in the outgoing phase will provide a unique training opportunity for the researcher and excellent means to build networks. Expertise gained will be transferred back into Europe in the incoming phase by working with Dr Dwyer, co-director of the Migration Research Unit (Geography Department) at UCL, a hub for migration research with Europe-wide networks. This will maximise output which advance theoretical debates around migration and transnationalism, speak to policy debates, and capture public audiences.

The percentage of people aged over 65 years and born outside Austria was 14% in 2012 and the number is growing. The aging of the migrant population is raising issues in regard of health and subsequently health care of elderly migrants as well as the demand for care services that comes along. BEMIG is aimed to improve the knowledge on the need for care and support for elderly migrants, their use of support services provided outside the family and the challenges laid down for service providers by a socioculturally diverse society. Research objectives: Based on a quantitative analysis of existing demographic data the demand for care and support for the next 5 – 10 years is estimated by taking into account temporary and permanent return and other forms of transnational conducts of life. Furthermore, expert interviews and group discussions with migrants confronted with care needs for elderly in their families will allow an assessment of existing care services and barriers to their accessibility and usage. Other research objectives are: - qualitative analysis of the relation between care by family members and their participation in education and the labour market - qualitative analysis of the entitlements of elderly migrants for care provided outside the family - assessment of recent and future role of religious and ethnical oriented providers in elderly care and support - investigations on adaptations of care providing facilities in the context of lingual, cultural and religious needs of elderly migrants. The outcome of this project shall serve as a base for target-oriented integration strategies and actions addressing elderly migrants and overall, give guidance for an integration-policy oriented development in the field of care and support for elderly people in Austria. Outcomes: - report on research outcomes - report with policy recommendations - conference

Norway received over 30.000 asylum seekers in 2015 and the number of refugees in the country will soon reach a total of 200.000. Refugees living in Norway have higher burden of disease than other migrants and are underrepresented in the labour market. The associations between somatic and mental health for this population is barely explored, but several studies show the challenge of adequately diagnosing immigrants from non-Western countries with specific diseases, which hinders correct treatment and rehabilitation processes, and decreases the satisfaction of patients with the health care system. Although the healthy immigrant effect is described also for refugees and there is evidence of rapid deterioration of their health once in the host country, little is known about the interactive development of somatic and mental disease through the migration path, this is to say, pre-departure, at interception and at destination, for these patients. For asylum seekers and refugees from Syria on their way to or already living in Norway, this project will determine the risk factors for negative development of somatic and mental health and for increase of unmet health care needs, through the different stages of the migration process. Also, the clinical implications of the associations between mental and somatic health will be tested by measuring the effect of two different treatments, individual physiotherapy and group-based psychological treatment, on both somatic and mental health. Therefore, our results will provide valuable information about the high health risk stages of the migration path, enabling preventive strategies at these points, and about the implications of the interactions between somatic and mental health for the design of health care for asylum seekers and refugees. Although our study will only include refugees from Syria through to enable a trajectory approach, we believe our results will universally apply to any asylum seeker/refugee group.

Auf Grundlage der IAB-BAMF-SOEP-Stichprobe Geflüchteter wird im Projekt „Longitudinal Aspects of the Interaction between Health and Integration of Refugees in Germany (LARGE)“ ein Indikatorenset zur physischen und mentalen Gesundheit Geflüchteter entwickelt. Darüber hinaus untersuchen die Forschenden, welche Rolle diese Indikatoren im Laufe der Zeit für die Integration der Geflüchteten in die deutsche Gesellschaft spielen. Dabei nutzen sie neben längsschnittlichen auch quasi-experimentelle Analysemethoden. LARGE ist ein Teilprojekt der DFG-Forschungsgruppe „Fluchtmigration nach Deutschland: ein „Vergrößerungsglas“ für umfassendere Herausforderungen im Bereich Public Health“ (PH-LENS).

The paper assesses opportunities and develops proposals for the integration of immigrants, as well as the adaptation of re-emigrants – long-term Ukrainian labour migrants returning home. An analysis of immigration to Ukraine has been carried out on the basis of: the 2001 population census; the current registering of migration processes; and also administrative sources of information. These sources include material from the Ministry of the Interior of Ukraine, the State Migration Service of Ukraine, the State Employment Service of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Education and Science, Youth and Sports of Ukraine, as well as data from special sampling surveys, including those held under the author’s guidance. The paper considers three specific migration groups in Ukraine: ‘non-traditional’ immigrants; the ‘Soviet Diaspora’; and long-term labour emigrants. An assessment has been made of ‘non-traditional’ immigrants in Ukraine and the prospects for their integration. A bilateral approach was here employed – the comparison of opinions from Ukrainian citizens and from foreigners on the basis of student youth surveys (including foreign students). It has been demonstrated that the frequency of contacts between immigrants and the receiving society is an important integration mechanism. An assessment has been made of the conditions of long-term Ukrainian migrants in recipient countries with the conclusion that these conditions are not significantly different from the conditions of short- and medium-term migrants. Particular attention has been paid to the ‘Soviet Diaspora,’ thus far practically untouched by scholarly publications in Ukraine. It is shown that the Soviet Diaspora in Ukraine (and other former USSR republics) has certain features sharply distinguishing it from ‘diaspora’ in the classical sense. An attempt has been made to define the term, develop the criteria to limit the reference groups and to assess the dimensions of the Soviet Diaspora. An analysis of current Ukrainian immigration policies has been given. Policy recommendations for perfecting Ukrainian state policy in the field of immigration, immigrants’ integration and the reintegration of returning long-term Ukrainian labour migrants have been formulated as well.

SIRIUS 2.0 is the Migration Policy Group (MPG)-led network that brings together educational stakeholders (researchers, policymakers and practitioners as well as migrants and refugees themselves) to support inclusive policy development and facilitate the integration of children and young people with migration background in education.

Policy in the field of migrants’ integration is a relatively new task for practically all CARIM-East countries. Integration has an impact upon demography, including the composition and structure of the country’s population, namely gender ratio, mortality, marriage structure, birth rate, ageing etc. While integrating into society migrants become a part of the same, which affects the demographic security of the recipient country. As was noted above, integration is a twofold process, i.e. it is linked both to the adaptation of migrants and the adaptation of the recipient society [16]. If one takes Russia as an example of a recipient country, then, in the first half of the 1990s, its actions were primarily directed towards assistance to refugees and forced migrants from the former USSR republics, most of whom were ethnic Russians in need of economic, social and household integration: assistance in getting housing, jobs, and legal status. In the late 1990s and the early 2000s the situation changed: forced migration gradually gave way to large-scale labor migration from practically all CIS countries and this, of course, required a drastic change in policy. The absence of migrants’ integration policy increases their social exclusion and segregation. This absence make them vulnerable to different forms of rights violations, labor and other types of exploitation, even extreme forms of violence, such as forced labor and human trafficking: all of these, it should be noted, are to be found in CARIM-East countries.

"In this project, we investigate the (sometimes unintended) consequences of policies that have been implemented to regulate immigration and to subsequently facilitate the socio-economic integration of newly arrived immigrants. (1) Networks: First, we exploit a natural experiment in Switzerland, where asylum seekers are randomly assigned to cantons. This immigration policy can be regarded as a transparent and neutral way of distributing refugees across a country to “share a burden”. At the same time, such restrictions regarding free movement within a country come with hefty consequences for the persons affected. On the one hand, a large share of jobs are found through referrals within social networks: in the US, for instance, around 30-60% (Bewley, 2007). At least since Granovetter (1973), a rich theoretical literature has rationalized this fact by modelling networks as non-market institutions that help overcome information frictions inherent in the labor market. From workers' perspective, networks grant their members preferential access to information on high-quality job openings, e.g. as in Calvo-Armengol and Jackson (2004). On the firm side, networks may help alleviate the asymmetric information problem in hiring leading potentially to a better job-match, e.g. as in Beaman and Magruder (2012). In our study, we focus on the value of social networks from the perspective of workers. Swiss asylum policy provides a unique natural experiment to study the effects of social networks on labor market outcomes. Because of the truly exogenous placement, long horizon over which the policy was in place and the large sample size, we can delve deeper into the mechanisms of how social networks affect labor market integration than previous studies have done and look at network structure beyond simply its size. Our findings will enable us to distinguish among a large set of theoretical models of the value of networks from the point of view of individual job seekers. (2) Maternity: At the same time, such immigration policies also affect the social integration of immigrants and, in our case, individual health and wellbeing. Specifically, we exploit the same unique setting to assess the relevance of information on infants' health. Random allocation of asylum seekers in Switzerland allows us to first, study the spatial differences in health care provision across the country. Further, by exploiting that French-speaking refugees are randomly placed in French- or non-French-speaking regions, we can credibly identify the language-match-health-gap, based on refugees that do not speak French as a control group and placed on either side of the language border (in a Difference in Differences framework). By extending the language to a novel (continuous) measure of language distance, we are able to factor out country of origin effects using bi-lateral regressions. A second strand of policies targets the (economic) integration of immigrants and generally of persons outside the labor market. A common approach is to provide measures, so-called Active Labor Market Programs (ALMP) that enhance a jobseeker’s employability (e.g., through additional human capital) or that keep a person close to the labor market through occupational programs. (3) Access Bias: Some measures, however, can negatively affect labor market outcomes, such as unemployment duration and post-unemployment wages, because of factors such as human capital deprivation or lock-in effects. Based on encompassing registry data that allow researchers to control for usually unobserved employability variables, we find evidence of a systematic access bias whereby caseworkers in Switzerland assign unemployed immigrants to activation measures based on what we call a competition logic that is mainly driven by and conforms to an economic rationale and the job center’s performance evaluation. From the perspective of immigrants’ labor market integration, this may be problematic because it results in an overrepresentation of immigrants in measures with little efficacy rather than in measures that could compensate for (some of) their employability disadvantages. Conversely, we find that Swiss citizens are relatively advantaged in the ability to access more measures that promote human capital enhancement (compensation logic) and that have been shown to be successful tools for labor market reintegration. It is plausible that a stronger reliance on the competition logic by caseworkers and the consequential overrepresentation of migrants in low-efficacy measures amplifies migrants’ general labor market disadvantages. (4) Priming: This rather negative stance on integration measures in the form of ALMPs is further advanced by a study where we present indications that ALMP participants are pushed into lower paying jobs compared to equally qualified non-participants. In this study on the effect of subjective beliefs on employment outcomes we find that the employment chances one year after the start of unemployment increase for both ALMP participants and non-participants when self-control and employment beliefs are high. In contrast, higher initial reservation wages increase employment chances for non-participants but substantially reduce them for ALMP participants. Previous studies have shown that beneficial effects of activation measures are often abrogated by lock-in effects, human capital deprivation, and/or negative signals to prospective employers, all of which are particularly harmful for highly skilled workers and higher-paying jobs. We argue that these detrimental effects ultimately push ALMP participants into jobs below their expected salary, where the negative consequences of activation measures are less pronounced. (5) Heterogeneity: A related aspect that is crucial from an integration perspective is whether such effects of ALMPs differ across groups, that is, whether the participation of “natives” turns out to have different consequences for their labor market performance compared to participating immigrants. In this study, we argue that effect heterogeneity between native and migrant participants can provide information about the type of discrimination that migrants face in the labor market. Using encompassing administrative data from Switzerland, we observe all registered jobseekers in 2004 and follow their monthly labor market trajectories over 10 subsequent years. Our findings are consistent with earlier evaluations of ALMPs in Switzerland and elsewhere, which find that participation effects of ALMPs are limited and sometimes even negative. However, findings show that employers value the additional productivity-related information of ALMP participation more if participants have a foreign nationality. We infer that labor market discrimination against migrants is dominated by statistical reasoning on the part of prospective employers. (6) LM-Index: Eventually, we provide a meta-analytical study where we argue that comparative assessments of integration policies fail to properly take confounding factors into account. That is, immigrant groups exposed to integration policies in different countries differ in their characteristics because immigration policies and migrants’ destination choice induce an ex-ante bias. To circumvent this limit to comparative analyses, we aspire to collect and generate data on all existing policy dimensions and subsequently provide a comparative analysis of immigrants’ labor market integration in industrialized countries."

Since 2011 the geopolitical instability in the Middle East and North Africa has been contributing to exceptional flows of migrants to South European countries. According to IOM estimates, 769,399 refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy, Greece and Malta during the period 1 January - 6 November 2015. WHO does not recommend obligatory screening of refugee and migrant populations for diseases, because there is no clear evidence of benefits but strongly recommends offering and providing health checks at the entry points to ensure access to health care for all refugees and migrants in need of health protection, specific population groups (children, pregnant women, elderly) included. But migrant’s health deserves to be profoundly understood and clinical attitude accordingly adapted. That’s why migrants’ health needs are at the very centre of the today discussion and multidisciplinary teams identified as the most appropriate approach to tackle them. This model results to be effective particularly in approaching even more fragile subgroups, such as minors, pregnant women and victims of violence. The project, which can count upon the endorsement of 5 MS governments experiencing strong migration flows, deploys its potential throughout 8 WPs, all tailored addressing different aspects of migrant’s health, with a view to hosting societies. Among them, three WPs are horizontal, namely coordination, results dissemination and evaluation. Other WPs do sustain the health of migrants within the hotspots and migrants’ centres, produce evidence based instruments to manage health threats and syndromic surveillance, offer a way for tracking migrant’s health on the move, produces training and information material for health staff and general public as well as intervene into the public/private relationships to promote a new governance model for migration public policies.

The research proposal is called International migrant families. Its objective is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the short- and long-term demographic consequences of international migration on an individual’s life course and on developments and integration of international-migrant populations in Western European receiving countries. The project is designed to fill the gaps in knowledge about those factors that cause differences in demographic behavior of international migrants and to generate new scientific and policy-oriented knowledge on the family dynamics, living arrangements, and health-care needs of women and men in a multi-cultural context in Western Europe. I plan work on both “ends” of the life course in order to understand the different trajectories of individuals and the interrelation between the various events and passages. The objectives can be articulated as follows: 1) To analyze and to explain the demographic behavior of international migrant populations in Europe, in comparison to the indigenous populations and to each other. 2) To identify migrant-specific indicators of demographic behavior that can be used for further analysis and projections. 3) To link the different indicators and life domains of one individual to others in order to better understand population dynamics and change. 4) To identify the implications of the findings of this project for policy strategies that could facilitate the integration on international migrants. International migration and migrant integration have become more pressing topics in Western European countries following growing immigration flows in the past 60 years. The multi-disciplinary demographic research proposed can provide one of the key inputs for policy makers in the European countries with a well argued, scientifically based and objective discussion of the relationships between public policy, family trends, the challenges of population ageing and the quality of life of Europe’s citizens.

The Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) is a unique tool which measures policies to integrate migrants. The MIPEX aims to address this by providing a comprehensive tool which can be used to assess, compare and improve integration policy. The index is a useful tool to evaluate and compare what governments are doing to promote the integration of migrants in all the countries analysed. The tool allows you to dig deep into the multiple factors that influence the integration of migrants into society and allows you to use the full MIPEX results to analyse and assess past and future changes in policy. The MIPEX includes 38 countries in order to provide a view of integration policies across a broad range of differing environments. Countries included are all EU Member States, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey and the USA. 167 policy indicators have been developed to create a rich, multi-dimensional picture of migrants’ opportunities to participate in society. MIPEX addresses 8 policy areas of integration: Labour Market Mobility, Family Reunion, Education, Political Participation, Long-term Residence, Access to Nationality, Anti-discrimination and Health. Thanks to the relevance and rigor of its indicators, the MIPEX has been recognised as a common quick reference guide across Europe. Policymakers, NGOs, researchers, and European and international institutions are using its data not only to understand and compare national integration policies, but also to improve standards for equal treatment.

'The REBUILD proposal address immigrant integration through the provision of a toolbox of ICT-based solutions that will improve both the management procedures of the local authorities and the life quality of the migrants. The design approach is user-centered and participated: both target groups (immigrants/refugees and local public services providers) will be part of the user requirement analysis and participants in three 2-days Co-Creation workshops organized in the 3 main piloting countries: Italy, Spain and Greece, chosen also for their being the 'access gates' to Europe for main immigration routes. Users and stakeholders engagement is a key success factor addressed both in the Consortium composition and in its capacity to engage relevant stakeholders external to the project. The key technology solutions proposed are: GDPR-compliant migrants’ integration related background information gathering with user consent and anonymization of personal information; AI-based profile analysis to enable both personalized support and policy making on migration-related issues; AI-based needs matching tool, to match migrant needs and skills with services provided by local authorities in EU countries and labor market needs at local and regional level; a digital companion for migrants enabling personalized two-way communication using chatbots to provide them smart support for easy access to local services (training, health, employment, welfare, etc.) and assessment of the level of integration and understanding of the new society, while providing to local authorities data-driven, easy to use decision supporting tools for enhancing capacities and effectiveness in service provision. Cross-culturality, ethical, accessibility dimensions will be addressed since the very beginning of the project, and validated and assessed in terms of consistency and impact during the project lifespan.'