Immigration and German Cities: Exploring National Policies and Local Outcomes

The presence of sizable foreign-born populations (which include citizens and non-citizens) in advanced industrial societies is the result of national policies on immigration, refugees, and labor migration. The consequences of these policies, however, are most visible at the local level, where newcomers work, settle, and raise their families. While not all immigrants live in cities, they have been particularly concentrated in urban environments. Thus, it is hardly surprising that many of the socioeconomic, cultural, and political issues and problems associated with immigration and the process of immigrant settlement are played out and magnified in cities.