2025 research conference “The Role of Political and Social Institutions in the Integration of Refugees into Host Cities”

This conference brought together 16 scholars from various countries focusing on the role of political and social institutions in the integration of forced migrants into host cities. By political institutions we mean the administrative rules, policies, and regime types governing both host and migrant populations. A social institutions perspective considers relational patterns of social roles and/or norms governing interactions between community members. This conference in particular focuses on how forced migrants live and integrate in urban environments.

Transnational crises lead to influxes of forced migrants into new, primarily urban, communities. This places heavy demands on urban infrastructure and services, leading to reconsiderations of the appropriate policies to deal with immigration at the local and national levels. There is a need to develop a more nuanced understanding of the factors underpinning various governance approaches to the integration of refugees in the cities, as well as their effects. The rapid social change brought about by forced migration also prompts conflicts over whose norms and values should prevail in urban neighborhoods, but also at regional and national level. Both formal and informal institutions affect the multidimensional processes of (dis-)integration for forced migrants. 

Participants list

Alexandra Scacco, Professor of Comparative Politics, University of Hamburg.

Andrea Spehar, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of  Gothenburg.

Ayat Nashwan, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Sharjah.

Bader Madi, Assistant Professor, Department Social Work, German Jordanian University.

Bernd Beber, Senior Researcher in the Berlin office of RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research.

Iman Abu Zueiter, Associate Researcher, Department of Political Science, University of  Gothenburg.

Josepha Wessels, Associate Professor in Media and Communication, School of Arts and  Communication (K3), Malmö University.

Karen Ferree, Professor of Political Science, University of California.

Kristen Kao, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of  Gothenburg.

Kristin Fabbe, Professor, Florence School of Transnational Governance, European  University Institute.

Mohammed Torki Bani Salameh, Professor, Political and International Studies Department,  Yarmouk University.

Peter Van der Windt, Associate Professor of Political Science at New York University – Abu Dhabi.

Sigrid Weber, Postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University and incoming Assistant Professor at  IE University.

Sura Al-Harahsheh, Professor, Department of Applied Earth and Environmental Sciences, Al  al-Bayt University.

Tolga Sinmazdemir, Senior Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Studies,  SOAS, University of London, and visiting fellow at the LSE European Institute.

Walid Alkahtib, Head of Public Opinion Studies Unit, Center for Strategic Studies,  University of Jordan