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Integration Needs and Support Offered: The Effects of Support on Young Spaniards in Germany
Author(s) -
Aksakal Mustafa,
Schmidt Kerstin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international migration
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.681
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1468-2435
pISSN - 0020-7985
DOI - 10.1111/imig.12613
Subject(s) - german , bureaucracy , government (linguistics) , scope (computer science) , social integration , social support , scale (ratio) , cultural diversity , inequality , affect (linguistics) , sociology , welfare state , political science , economic growth , public relations , psychology , economics , social psychology , politics , law , geography , mathematical analysis , linguistics , philosophy , cartography , mathematics , archaeology , communication , computer science , programming language
In this article we compare the perceived cultural integration challenges by young Spanish migrants in Germany with the support offered by one national government initiative and one local migrant organisation. Based on qualitative interviews, we identified four inequality‐related and interrelated challenges: personal relationships, housing, company culture and bureaucracy. Our findings show that MobiPro‐EU, as an example of a government initiative, emphasises labour market integration and thereby neglects the cultural dimension of integration. The German‐Spanish Association, which is a regional example for migrant self‐support, lacks the financial means, staff and geographic scope to provide large‐scale support. We conclude that both initiatives follow a different support strategy and demonstrate shortcomings in supporting migrants. As a consequence, particularly for migrants who cannot draw on social support, for instance provided by their personal networks, the absence of effective support measures can negatively affect cultural integration into society as well as career development.