Immigration and Integration

International migration is a global phenomenon and a fundamental part of the 21st century. With over 200 million migrants in the world today, international migration is set to increase in the years ahead. Yet beyond regional arrangements (foremost among them free movement within the European Union) and the international refugee regime, migration governance lags significantly behind the management of other aspects of globalisation. How states can effectively manage human mobility and take advantage of the opportunities it presents in changing demographic and economic conditions has become a crucial challenge.

Policymakers in many European countries face this challenge in the context of the growing political salience of immigration. This includes debates not only about border control and how to manage the economic impacts of immigration, but also about identity and the management of diversity. European social democratic parties in particular are confronted with serious electoral challenges on these issues, having failed to develop a coherent narrative on immigration and integration that takes account of the benefits of immigration while addressing potential difficulties. There is an urgent need to develop a progressive agenda which establishes the place of immigration in wider economic and demographic policy, the rights of people as they move across borders and the importance of tolerant and trusting communities.

Policy Network’s previous work looked at ‘Managing migration in times of economic turbulence’ and ‘Myths and realities of labour migration’. Policy Network’s current project, ‘Immigration and political trust’, supported by the Barrow Cadbury Trust, seeks to:

• Tackle head on the problem of public concern about immigration and the way that this concern is eroding trust in politics and political parties.

• Examine the relationship between immigration and political trust through discussion of three aspects of public attitudes: lack of confidence in the management of admissions policy, economic grievances and perceptions of the impacts of immigration, and unease about identity and belonging.

• Analyse and draw lessons from the experiences of other European countries.

• Develop concrete proposals to restore political trust in relation to the management of immigration and help progressive politicians in mainstream political parties overcome the challenges posed by rising anti-immigrant hostility.

• Disseminate project results and encourage debate on immigration and political trust through a series of high-level publications, reports and policy briefings.

The project was launched on 21 September 2010 with a brainstorming meeting that brought together key experts and practitioners to help inform and shape the scope and questions to be explored. A seminar in London on 13 December 2010 focused on Performance Politics: Building public confidence in immigration policy. The second seminar in the series was held in London on 1 February 2011 on Immigration, economic security and fairness: Engaging with public concerns about the economic impacts of immigration. This was followed by a third seminar in London on 28 June 2011 on Community, identity and solidarity: Fostering trust in diverse political communities.