13^th International Metropolis Conference | Mobility, Integration and Development in a Globalised World | 27-31 October 2008, Bonn

Plenary Programme

Programme download version (PDF)

Plenary Sessions*

Available presentations can be accessed by clicking on the names (in blue and underlined) of the panelist in the list below.

* In keeping with the spirit the International Metropolis Conference, the functions and titles of speakers have, with the exception of political office bearers, not been included in the programme.

1. Mobility, Integration and Development – A Roundtable Discussion

Recent international fora have emphasized coherence amongst migration, integration, and development policies. Policy coherence is exceptionally difficult to achieve in modern governments given their large bureaucracies and multifaceted mandates. This session was a moderated roundtable with leading experts and policy-makers in these fields who explored the extent to which success here has been achieved and is even possible. Speakers attempted an assessment of the practical implications of policy coherence for the migrants, their societies of origin, and their societies of destination.

Keynote:
Wolfgang Schäuble, Minister of the Interior, Berlin,
Germany

Panelists:
Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Minister for Home Affairs, Republic of South Africa
Demetrios Papademetriou, Migration Policy Institute, Washington D.C., United States
Chair:
Melinda Crane, Free-lance journalist and moderator, Berlin, Germany

Are Circular Migration, Development and Immigrant Integration Compatible Policy Goals?
Migrants' Transnational Activities and Integration: A Comparative Perspective
Regional Immigration and Transnational Networks: International Perspectives
Mainstreaming Migration into Development Strategies: The Role of International Cooperation

2. Mobility vs State Sovereignty**

Although freer movement of capital and goods and a freer supply of services are central features of globalisation, there remains widespread protectionism regarding the movement of people. This can to some degree be explained by the premium that is placed on national sovereignty and decisions on who resides within a state's boundaries. There are also more specific concerns about national security, social cohesion, and national identity. Managing migration through increasingly sophisticated border control programmes remains a central element of most migration programmes, with the prevention of undocumented migration being a particular concern. Those who advocate more liberal migration policies argue that a state's ability to control migration is limited and that the restrictive policies that are imposed are more likely to create problems than solve them, for example by creating incentives for increased illegal entry. If countries were to adopt an open border policy, what effect would this have on the integrative capacity of receiving countries? What effects might open borders have on the development potential of poor countries of origin?

Panelists:
James F. Hollifield, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, United States
Carlos E. Iturregui, Office of Policy and Strategy, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
Virginie Guiraudon, National Center for Scientific Research, Paris, France
Martin Schieffer, European Commission, Directorate-General Justice, Freedom an Security; Brussels, Belgium
Chair:
Steven Vertovec, Max-Planck-Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen, Germany

** Responsible for Panel 2: Gerda Henkel Stiftung

Border Security Technology: An Element of or a Contradiction to Migration Governance
External Migration Control and its Impacts on Residing Immigrant Communities
Irregular Migrants: Local Integration or Return

3. Convergence or Divergence? National Perspectives on Integration***

Integration success is partly dependent on the number of immigrants who arrive in a given time. The integrative capacity of societies is indeed susceptible to policy influence, but there would seem to be limits to the numbers of newcomers that a society can integrate successfully in a short amount of time, if only because of limits in programming capacity. This admitted, which government interventions are most effective for increasing this integrative capacity so that it can succeed in integrating the immigrants who do arrive? Integration of whom and into what remain key questions because there are indications that integration policy in many traditional receiving countries is shifting from the promotion of diversity and multiculturalism, toward the promotion of unity, social cohesion and shared values. Are we witnessing convergence or divergence in our thinking on what are the most effective integration measures that societies, through their governments, can take? Behind this question is that of our understanding of 'integration' and what it is to achieve. Is it principally a matter of seeing immigrants employed, housed, and schooled? Are countries converging on an idea that integration ought to attempt to create societies that are socially cohesive or culturally united or do models of integration based upon multiculturalism remain powerful?

Keynotes:
Ella Vogelaar, Minister of Integration and Housing, The Netherlands

Panelists:
Sarah Spencer, COMPAS, Oxford, United Kingdom
Jan Niessen, Migration Policy Group, Brussels, Belgium
Yngve Lithman, Centre on International Migration and Ethnic Relations, University of Bergen, Norway
Chair:
Michelynn Laflèche, Runnymede Trust, United Kingdom

*** Responsible for Panel 3: ZEIT-Stiftung

Diversity in European Cities: Challenges for Social Cohesion
The Social and Economic Integration of Recent Migrants: Longitudinal Research
Residential Concentration and Integration: International Perspectives
Naturalization Evolving? A Real Path Towards Citizenship?
Civic Integration Programmes: Achievements and Challenges of Establishing Effective Integration Programmes

4. Immigrant Germany: Policies and Perspectives for the Future

In January 2005, Germany's first immigration law came into force. This was, for many, a hard-fought acceptance that Germany had become a country of immigration, a necessary reaction to the country's greying population and declining birth rate as well as a result of four decades of integration politics. This legislative development reflected demographic shifts and tensions within the country over immigration and integration. With the expansion of the European Union, legal migration has become a pivotal debate among member states, and the contours of policy development in Germany reflect this debate. Systematic and binding integration programmes, religious plurality, the second-generation, the migration of the highly qualified are all part of this policy palette. There is also a greater consideration of the links between migration, integration, and the economic development of the countries of origin, particularly in the context of immigration programmes targeting the highly qualified. New initiatives in Germany on migration and development are a consequence of the growing awareness of the potential effect of such policies on the countries of origin. The discussion used the German example to explore, preferably from an intergenerational perspective, the social, economic and political impact of recent migration and integration reforms.

Keynote:
Armin Laschet, Minister of Intergenerational Affairs,
Family, Women and Integration of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Panelists:
Peter Altmaier, Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Germany
Sebastian Edathy, Member of the German Parliament, Committee of Internal Affairs
Cem Özdemir, Member of the European Parliament (tbc)
Rita Süssmuth, Former President of the German Parliament, Member of the Global Commission on International Migration (UN), German Independent Commission on Migration
Chair:
Ulrich Reitz, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (WAZ), Essen, Germany

Canada: Immigration Model for Germany
Managing Migration in an International Perspective

5. Circular and Temporary Migration

Circular migration has been thrust into the limelight in discussions of how to manage international migration. It is now seen by many as providing the means by which societies of destination can manage the flow of migrants into their territory for tangible economic benefits while at the same time providing a way for societies of origin to gain developmental benefits. This session put to the test the assumptions underlying these hopes for circular migration. The aim was to develop an understanding of these ideas that will allow them to be put into practice for best effects. Speakers also looked at the management of such programmes and the implications that a circular migration paradigm has for social integration and asked whether the expectation of a return to the country of origin stands in conflict with the objectives of successful integration into the society of destination.

Panelists:
Philippe Fargues, Euro-Mediterranean Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration (CARIM), Florence, Italy
Modibo Keita, Sciences Sociales pour le Development, Bamako, Mali (tbc)
Pawel Kaczmarczyk, Board of Strategic Advisers to the Prime Minister, Poland
Jacques Poot, Population Studies Centre, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Chair:
Klaus F. Zimmermann, Institute for the Future of Labor (IZA), Bonn, Germany

Best Practices, Best Returns? Foreign Worker Programs
Return Migration: Concepts and Outcomes
Temporary Migration Programs: Quick Fix or Disposable Migrants
Enlarging Opportunities for Legal Migration: The European Union in a Comparative Perspective

6A. Transnational Diaspora Networks, Integration and Development

The international community's hopes for a positive relationship between migration and development rest in part on the contributions of diasporas or transnational communities. These contributions need to be distinguished from the benefits that circular migration has come to be associated with, owing to the relative permanency of transnational communities in both country of origin and of destination. Whereas the benefits of circular migration are to arise from its transitoriness, the development effects of diasporas are to result from the permanency of these communities and the consequent capacity, which they establish from long-term residence in a country of destination, to assist the homeland. The role of the economic and social integration of diasporas in countries of destination would be different from the integration of those whose migration is circular. Precisely how this is the case was a subject of this panel which was meant to look carefully at the effects of integration policies and outcomes on the development potential that diasporas have.

Keynote:
Gibril Faal, African Foundation for Development, London, United Kingdom

Panelists:
Tanja el Cherkeh, Hamburg Institute of International Economics, Germany
Hein de Haas, International Migration Institute, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
Awil Mohamoud, African Diaspora Policy Centre, The Netherlands
Chair:
Thomas Faist, COMCAD, Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, Germany

Immigration Experiences of Developing Countries
African Diaspora Groups as Facilitators of Peace and Development
Cross-border Migration Organisations and National Development
Key Factors for the Development Impact of Highly Skilled Migrants
Diaspora, Business and Development
Diaspora-Driven Development

6B. Integration of the Second Generation in Europe

For those immigrants who have settled in practice by bringing or forming their family in the new country the position of their children in society is the litmus test for successful integration. Education is the critical factor for the success or failure of their integration and for social mobility of descendants of immigrants. Access to education and equitable outcomes for immigrant children should thus have the highest policy priority. In this panel the outcomes of a large comparative survey among immigrant children in 15 cities in eight European countries were presented. The same immigrant groups are surveyed in these cities and countries, which makes it possible to look specifically into the local and national educational practices, their strengths and weaknesses. The outcomes were discussed with stakeholders and practitioners in the field of education in order to identify successful ways to guarantee access and outcomes for the second generation.

Keynote:
Maurice Crul, The Integration of the European Second Generation – TIES-Project, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands

Panelists:
Laura Cassio, Directorate General Education and Culture, European Commission
Aydan Özoguz, Körber-Stiftung, Germany
Patrick Simon, Institute National d'Études Démographiques, Paris, France
Helga Nagel, Department of Multicultural Affairs, City of Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Chair:
Sandra Pratt, Metropolis International Steering Committee, Brussels, Belgium

Second-Generation Identities
Immigrants' Descendents: A Challenge for Integration Policies?
Different School and Support Systems in Europe: What Works Best for the Second-Generation?

7. Gender Dimensions of International Labour Migration, Development and Integration

It is now known that women constitute 50% of the current flow of the world?s migrants, a proportion that has increased significantly in a few short years. This panel will look at what is behind this increase. The panel considered this as among the effects of globalisation and the urbanization of populations throughout the world. Speakers particularly looked at the comparative employability of women migrants now and in the past. To what extent has it changed? Are there new opportunities for migrant women to move out of traditionally-gendered work niches such as nursing and care of the elderly, domestic workers? Are there better opportunities for women to become self-employed and business oriented? How is the position of migrant women in the labour market mediated by the restructuring of global economy as well as by ethnicity, age, class, and skills? What are the advantages and disadvantages of circular migration, given the common circumstance of family members left behind? The panel also illustrated how a gendered research approach can help us to understand the dynamics influencing the respective positions of migrant women and men in the labour market.

Panelists:
Nana Oishi, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan
Keiko Osaki, Population and Social Integration Section (PSIS), Emerging Social Issues Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok, Thailand
Nicola Piper, Swansea University, United Kingdom
Geraldine Pratt, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
Chair:
Howard Duncan, International Metropolis Project, Ottawa, Canada

Workshops related to this plenary session:

"High" Skilled, "Low" Skilled: Gender Dimensions of Migration and Integration
Gender, Migration and Citizenship: Balancing Labour Market Imperatives and Care
Family Immigrant Women and Employment: A Gendered Perspective
Gendered Geographies of Migration: Segregation as a Consequence?

8. The Environment's Impact on Migration*

As concern over the environment heightens, many are paying increased attention to links with other policy areas, including migration. Although it is the preoccupation over climate change that is most often voiced in this regard, there are numerous other forms of environmental degradation that cause people to decide, or be forced, to leave their homes. Natural disasters, such as flooding or the recent tsunami in South Asia, desertification and drought in Africa, the hurricanes which caused large scale internal displacement in the United States, are examples of the environment's impact on people and their mobility. How are neighbouring regions and the international community responding to these pressures? What are states and the international community doing to plan for the eventual submersion of some coastal communities as a result of global warming? Will those affected be given protection as "environmental refugees"? This panel will indicate how the migration researchers and policy officials should be thinking about the future of migration in so far as flows will be affected by environmental change.

Keynote:
Dirk Messner, University Duisburg-Essen, German Development Institute (DIE)*

Panelists:
Robert McLeman, University of Ottawa, Canada
Stephen Dunstan, Department of Labour, New Zealand
Janos Bogardi, UNU-EHS Project on Environmental Impact of Migration, Bonn, Germany
Philippe Boncour, International Dialogue on Migration, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Geneva, Switzerland
Chair:
Rinux Penninx, Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies , University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

* Responsible for Panel 8: German Development Institute Migration

Environment and Forced Migration: A Policy-Relevant Research Approach