Migration and Political Integration

The topic

Modern societies are increasingly confronted with growing and diverse migratory flows (for example, immigrant workers, refugees and immigrants benefitting from family reunification policies). Multicultural contexts can generate problems, notably inequalities and discrimination. This course will provide the tools necessary for identifying the structural inequality or patterns of inequality resulting from increased immigration. It will also address the pressing question of how to best ensure immigrants’ integration into different societies.

This course will provide an overview of policies (and best practices) designed to foster the integration of immigrants in Switzerland and abroad. It will address the public policies that manage integration in a number of domains, notably education, the job market, naturalisation policies and subjects such as immigrant poverty.

This course will thus answer two fundamental questions. Which types of inequalities do immigrants in Switzerland experience and why? What are the best practices for addressing these inequalities nationally and internationally?

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Objectives

Examine the causes and consequences of inequalities in domains related to the integration of immigrants (education, the job market, health, poverty, naturalisation and political participation).
Examine the principal inequalities affecting different groups of immigrants in Switzerland (workers, refugees, etc.).
Identify the most promising public policies for facilitating the integration of immigrants based on the latest evidence in the scientific literature.
Reflect on the difficulties of integration in Switzerland and on possible solutions.
Analyse integration difficulties in Switzerland and possible solutions.

Target audience

Participants in the Master of Advance Studies in Public Administration (MPA).
Political leaders and administrative officials in the migration and social services sectors.
Social services professionals.
Representatives of political parties, interest groups and not-for-profit organisations.

Speakers

Other speakers will be announced later on the course website.

Name	Function
Dr Annatina Aerne	Research Officer at IDHEAP
Mrs Rahel Affolter	Deputy Head of the Administrative Centre of the Association of Cantonal Migration Authorities
Prof. Cesla Amarelle	University of Neuchâtel
Dr Amina Benkais-Benbrahim	Integration Delegate and Head of the Cantonal Office for the Integration of Foreigners and the Prevention of Racism (BCI)
Prof. Patrick Bodenmann	Faculty of Biology and Medicine, Unisanté, University of Lausanne
Prof. Giuliano Bonoli	Professor at IDHEAP
Ms Michel Cornut	General Secretary, management and social action consultant, Association of cantons with zero very long-term unemployed
Mrs Martine Dang	Lawyer, Lausanne
Mrs Mélanie Dieguez	Head of Social Services at Caritas Vaud
Mrs Denis Efionayi-Maeder	Deputy Director, Swiss Forum for Migration and Population Studies, University of Neuchâtel
Ms Thomas Fuhrimann	Deputy Head of Professional Integration Section, State Secretariat for Migration (SEM)
Ms Pascal Maeder	PhD, General Secretary of LIVES Social Innovation, Domains Social Work and Health in collaboration with the LIVES Centre, Universities of Geneva and Lausanne and HES-SO Rectorate
Prof. Minh Son Nguyen	Professor of Law at the Centre for Public Law at UNIL, lawyer
Mrs Ihssane Otmani	Graduate assistant at IDHEAP
Prof. Etienne Piguet	University of Neuchâtel and Vice-Chairman of the Federal Commission for Migration
Ms François Rastoldo	Department of Education, Training and Youth (DIP), Geneva and Education Research Service (SRED)
Prof. Nenad Stojanovic	University of Geneva and Member of the Federal Commission against Racism
Ms Ugochukwu Celeste C.	Member of the Federal Commission against Racism and the African Diaspora Council of Switzerland (CDAS)

Programme (subject to modification)

Introduction: immigration to Switzerland.
Inequalities in the education system and regarding education policies.
Inequalities on the job market and regarding vocational integration policies.
Inequalities in political participation and their consequences.
Inequalities in naturalisation requirements between different groups of immigrants.
Inequalities in the health sector and discussion of policies for improving care.
Poverty among immigrants and social policies to reduce disparities.

Teaching methods

Course days will involve an alternation of theoretical overviews, the presentation of case studies drawn from scientific research, discussions and group work, and lectures by experts internal and external to IDHEAP. Furthermore, participants will be able to undertake a personal project to put the concepts discussed during the course into practice.

The course documentation includes written documents and statistical data presented in the form of tables and charts.

Practical information and Registration

Course Manager

Prof. Flavia Fossati

Dates, time and place

Every Monday from 8 January to 25 March 2024, from 9h15 to 16h15 at IDHEAP.

Teaching language

French

Registration fees

The total course registration fee comes to CHF 3,900 (including all documentation), which should be paid on receipt of the invoice, but no later than the course start date.

A discount of 5%, up to a maximum of CHF 500 per course, is available to any IDHEAP alumni—holding an MPA, DAS or CEMAP, an IDHEAP PhD or an MA in PMP—who wish to follow a CAS course or a Seminar for Specialists and Executives organised by IDHEAP. This discount does not apply to participants in the DAS who subsequently wish to follow the MPA course.

Any decision to withdraw from the course must be made in writing. If withdrawal from the course is announced between 21 and 10 days before its commencement, 50% of the registration fee will remain due. If withdrawal from the course is announced less than ten days before its commencement, the entire registration fee is due.

Conditions of admission

This course is open to anyone holding a university degree or having equivalent professional experience. Please see the CAS in Public Administration regulations.

Registration deadline

18.12.2023

I’m registering

Click here to register (in French. The number of participants is limited. Registrations will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Migration and Political Integration | MIPO