Asylum Policies

Mandatory integration contracts in France improved immigrants’ short-term labor market integration without provoking a backlash, but had no lasting effects.

Publication: "external page Welcome to France." Can mandatory integration contracts foster immigrant integration?

Higher welfare benefits significantly reduce criminal charges among refugees, with limited repercussions for their labor market participation.

Publication: external page Social Assistance and Refugee Crime

Resources: Download Research Brief (German) (PDF, 455 KB)

Media coverage: external page SRF Swiss Radio and Television (German), external page SRF Swiss Radio and Television (German), external page Swiss Refugee Council (German), external page Tagesanzeiger (German)

Imposing employment bans on newly arrived refugees lowers their long-term employment rates and makes them less motivated to integrate.

Restricting refugees' employment opportunities reduces their labor market integration and earnings in the long run.

Publication: external page The Labor Market Effects of Restricting Refugees' Employment Opportunities

Resources: Download Research Brief (German) (PDF, 523 KB)

Media Coverage: external page Blick (German)

Algorithmic assignment of asylum seekers to places which are better suited for their labor market integration could significantly increase refugee employment levels.  

New asylum seekers are more likely to be employed if they live close to a larger group of people who share their nationality, ethnicity or language.

   

Measuring Integration

We developed a standard module to measure integration levels across immigrant communities and build comparable knowledge about integration which can inform policy development.

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