Integration

Using the example of the guest workers who came to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s, we investigate whether the regional concentration of migrants affects the language acquisition and integration of their children. The study shows that exposure to a higher regional concentration of migrants from the same country of origin impaired German language proficiency and increased school drop-out among the children of guest workers. This effect can largely be attributed to their parents’ lower German language skills. The findings point to potential threats of ethnic enclaves for the integration of immigrant children.

Here you can find a short non-technical overview on this topic.

Research paper:

Growing up in Ethnic Enclaves: Language Proficiency and Educational Attainment of Immigrant Children (with A.M. Danzer, C. Feuerbaum, and M. Piopiunik). Journal of Population Economics 35 (3): 1297-1344, 2022 [tweet]

Material available only in German

Newspaper articles:

Integration verträgt sich nicht mit Gettos in den Städten. Wirtschaftswoche, 7.12.2018, p. 47

Two contributions about our research results:

Wissenschaftler warnen vor Gettobildung in Städten. Beitrag in der Welt vom 13.06.2018

Gettoisierung erschwert die Integration von Migrantenkindern. Beitrag in der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung vom 13.06.2018