MPG at IMISCOE 2024: Leading the Discussion on Migration and Integration

From July 2-5, 2024, MPG attended the IMISCOE Conference 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal. IMISCOE (International Migration Research Network) is the largest annual network of scholars focused on migration studies. This prestigious event is key for sharing the latest research, trends, and data on migration and integration in Europe.

MPG’s Participation and Key Highlights

MPG’s participation in the IMISCOE Conference 2024 highlighted our dedication to improving migrant integration. Specifically, we focused on political participation, local integration efforts, and EU migration policies. Our team led discussions, presented research, and engaged with experts from across Europe.

What is New on Migrant Political Participation?

Başak Yavçan, MPG’s Head of Research, organized a successful panel on migrant political participation. She presented findings from the New Europeans Initiative. Furthermore, Başak and Sinem Yilmaz, MPG’s Integration Policy Analyst, discussed both conventional and non-conventional political participation across the EU. They highlighted migrants’ perspectives and policy obstacles. Notably, key insights included results from the migrant political participation policy index. This index shows leaders and laggards in this policy area. It also identifies main obstacles to meaningful political participation, according to migrant-led organizations. Additionally, the panel emphasized significant structural, institutional, and individual obstacles. These include limited policy scope, a lack of targeted initiatives, and insufficient information dissemination.

Insights from Leading Academics

Zeynep Yanaşmayan from DEZIM complemented MPG’s findings with additional reflections. Moreover, leading academics presented an overview of scholarly and practical knowledge on political participation. They discussed challenges in quantifying migrants’ and their descendants’ political participation. Consequently, these findings guide future policies to better support migrant political integration.

Exploring New Partnerships and Open Science Initiatives

At MPG, we are dedicated to fostering new partnerships and pioneering research. During the IMISCOE Conference 2024, we attended several workshops. We shared our latest findings, discussed ways to deepen collaborations, and expanded our research network. Additionally, we participated in the newly awarded project, “Consolidating Open Science and Data Initiatives on Ethnic and Migrant Minorities in Europe” (OPENMIN).

Opportunities for Collaboration

This meeting provided an invaluable opportunity to explore potential collaborations. We initiated preliminary exchanges on establishing an European infrastructure. This infrastructure aims to consolidate Open Science and Open Data initiatives. It will foster comparative knowledge generation and research capacities on ethnic and migrant minorities and migration studies in Europe. Our goal is to make research and data on migration findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. We are excited about the new partnerships formed and look forward to further collaborative efforts.

From left to write: Tuba Bircan, VUB; Başak Yavçan MPG; Sinem Yilmaz, MPG.

Panel discussion on political participation of migrants.

Workshop by Sinem Yilmaz.