The perils of integration policies: migration to Britain and Germany since 1949

Migrant integration policies have been pursued in diverse ways, as examples from the UK and the Federal Republic of Germany since 1949 clearly show.
When using the notion of integration in public debates, policymakers and public commentators often present it as the opposite to the ‘ghettoisation’ of migrants.
This paper critically evaluates the concept of ‘integration’. It challenges the idea that it is the only lens through which the interaction between migrants and non-foreign-born people can be viewed.
Historical evidence suggests that in place of integration, a richer and more positive concept of reciprocity would better inform more successful and workable policy outcomes.