Immigrant integration in Federations

Forum of Federations - Global Dialogue
government within seven federations. It will also explore the degree to which policies and responsibilities have changed as the issue of immigrant integration has risen on the public agenda during the past decade.
Although the concept is defined in various ways, this project focuses on immigrant integration as the means to allow newcomers to participate in the economic, social and civic life of the host country. This is viewed as a two-way process: acquiring these capacities is the responsibility not only of newcomers but also the host society and its institutions. The project will focus on policy instruments to encourage immigrant integration in three categories: legal/political, economic and civic/cultural.

Activities

A workshop of the project collaborators was held in Berlin on February 22, 2010. Three additional events involving a number of those involved in the project were co-sponsored with local partners: a conference on “Immigrant Integration in Switzerland” in Bern on February 24 and 25, 2010 (with the Federal Office for Migration); a workshop on “Immigration Policies in Spain” in Barcelona on March 26, 2010 (with Institut d'Estudis Autonòmics); and a conference in Brussels on November 29 and 30, 2010.

A further event, a conference on “Immigrant Integration and Canadian Federalism: Exploring the Issues,” will be held in Toronto on January 28, 2011.

The project will lead to the publication of a comparative volume, which will include a policy-oriented concluding chapter written by the co-directors