Forum of Federations

This project is a comparative study of policies and programs for immigrant integration viewed from the perspective of federalism. It will examine the variations in immigrant integration policies and in the pattern of responsibility among the different orders of government within seven federations. It will also explore the degree to which policies and responsibilities have changed as the issue of immigrant integration has risen on the public agenda during the past decade.

Although the concept is defined in various ways, this project focuses on immigrant integration as the means to allow newcomers to participate in the economic, social and civic life of the host country. This is viewed as a two-way process: acquiring these capacities is the responsibility not only of newcomers but also the host society and its institutions. The project will focus on policy instruments to encourage immigrant integration in three categories: legal/political, economic and civic/cultural.

The project has led to the preparation of a comparative volume, Immigrant Integration in Federal Countries, edited by Christian Joppke and Leslie Seidle and published in October 2012 by McGill-Queen's University Press. See Abstract and Contents.

Events: