Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

As immigration and integration become subject to heightened public debate and policy attention, Germany and the United States must rethink the policy process in order to promote policy consistency and awareness of its international repercussions. Recent German and U.S. debates and policy changes point to the need for agencies to monitor developments and suggest policy options, and administrative structures that permit some flexibility in administering immigration and integration policies.

This paper (1) summarizes Germany's postwar migration history, (2) reviews the major proposals for changes in Germany's immigration and integration policies before the 1998 elections, (3) summarizes the SPD-Green proposal and its likely impacts, (4) highlights unfinished immigration and integration issues, and (5) compares Germany's immigration debates with similar U.S. debates.