For whom are we conducting this research?
For a period of four years (2022-2026), we are evaluating the new integration policy of the municipality of Rotterdam. Researchers Jaco Dagevos and Roxy Damen are collaborating with the OBI department of the municipality of Rotterdam for this purpose.
Why are we conducting this research?
Since January 1, 2022, the Netherlands has implemented a new integration law. This law was developed after years of preparation and aims to address the shortcomings of the previous law. The new law places a significant responsibility on the municipality to support and guide recognized refugees and family migrants in finding a suitable learning route. Additionally, the municipality is responsible for selecting providers of integration routes, all with the goal of achieving better integration outcomes.
To effectively implement the new integration law, the municipality needs to know what does and does not work in their approach and the factors that are important in this regard. In this context, the legislator refers to a "learning and adaptive system." Against this backdrop, the municipality of Rotterdam has commissioned a research project intending to gain insight into the new integration approach's design, implementation, results, and effects.
What is our research question?
The central question of this research project is as follows: To what extent does the integration policy of Rotterdam contribute to the goals outlined in the new integration law?
What is our approach?
To answer this main question, the research will focus on various aspects:
- Process evaluation: Investigating the design and implementation of the integration policy.
- Outcome evaluation: Evaluating the extent to which the set objectives are achieved.
- Effect evaluation: Assessing the relative effectiveness of the integration policy.
Research reports
This report presents the findings of the initial study within our research project. Following the (early) phase in which the policy is currently situated, we focused on examining how the policy is designed and implemented. We conducted document analysis and interviews with professionals at various levels from different involved parties to accomplish this. We also compared the findings with other G4 municipalities. The report provides insights into the implementation of the new policy and includes suggestions for further development.
In the media
Does the new integration law live up to high expectations? – Sociale Vraagstukken (in Dutch)
Need for frameworks for dual integration processes - Blog (in Dutch)
Starting integration early requires extra efforts - Blog (in Dutch)
Jaco Dagevos is a professor of Integration and Migration at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) and a senior researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). He leads the research on the new integration policy in Rotterdam from EUR. He is also involved in the longitudinal cohort study on recognized refugees and a similar study on Ukrainian refugees. Dagevos has published on topics such as the position of refugee groups, socio-cultural integration, the situation of EU labour migrants, labour market discrimination, and the relevance of the integration concept.
Roxy Damen is a postdoctoral researcher at EUR and is involved in research on the new integration policy in Rotterdam as part of her role. She obtained her PhD from EUR in 2022 with a dissertation titled "Rooting in New Soil," which focused on the early integration of Syrian-recognized refugees in the Netherlands. Damen has published on the position of Syrian-recognized refugees, integration (policy), and how refugees themselves perceive integration.
The commissioner for this research project is the municipality of Rotterdam. The contact person is Carolien Vogelaar (Integration Task Manager).
For this research project, we are collaborating with researchers from the Research and Business Intelligence (OBI) department of the municipality of Rotterdam, working from EUR.