Coping with the challenges of mass migration: Reception, distribution and integration of refugees in German municipalities since 2015

Abstract

During 2015 Germany received over two million migrants and refugees, more than ever before in its history. This mass migration challenges Germany in many ways, especially with respect to the long-term integration process of refugees. While widely debated on the federal level, management of the integration process mostly occurs on the local level, since the municipalities are responsible for providing concrete integration measures in many social areas such as housing, work, language courses, etc. Against this background, the paper analyses the role of local governments in this process and discusses different challenges in dealing with this new era of migration and integration in Germany.