In the course of the so-called refugee crisis, several enforcement and coordination problems in the field of migration and integration policy have emerged, despite considerable efforts on the part of the administrations. In a common research project with Prof. Dr. Jörg Bogumil (RU Bochum) and Prof. Dr. Martin Burgi (LMU München), commissioned by the foundation Mercator, major reasons for this were analysed and the integrated refugee management was scrutinized. The objective of the project was to elaborate recommendations for an effective restructuring in the field of asylum and integration policy of Bund, Länder and municipalities. In doing so, the research focused on changing competences in the sense of legal or constitutional reorganization, meaning a changing allocation of responsibilities in the federal state in the area asylum/integration, as well as the analysis of the procedures and organizational structures in the administration in these areas. On the basis of the empirical results suggestions for optimization were elaborated and scrutinized on their legal implementability.

For their study Administering Migration and Integration – Recommendations for Administration and Legislation in the Federal System the research team was awarded the Wissenschaftspreis Bürokratie (science award bureaucracy) in May 2019. This price is awarded by the German Economic Institute (IW) for scientific research on the operating principle and impact of bureaucracies in state, economy and society.

The main findings and recommendations of the study can be found here.