Enclaves and the Integration of Migrant Children

Regional placement plays a key role in the current debate about the integration of refugees. Two factors need to be considered: On the one hand, placement in centers may promote ethnic networks that could facilitate labor market access. On the other hand, it may give rise to enclaves that hamper language skill acquisition and integration. To address this key issue empirically, we study the example of the guest workers who came to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. 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 learn more about my research on this topic.

My most important academic paper on the topic is:

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]

Additional material is available in German.