Refugee Participation in Labor Market Integration: A Field Analysis of Berlin's Regulatory Practices

While refugee participation is increasingly recognized as central in policy discourse, with various programs emphasizing this aspect, the actual involvement of refugees in regulatory processes remains limited (e.g., Milner et al. 2022). This contribution examines the evolving landscape of refugee participation in Berlin's labor market integration (LMI) efforts, focusing on how participation is negotiated and implemented across local, state, and federal levels. The research analyzes two key examples of LMI regulation in Berlin: the development of job-specific language courses for refugees (2016-2021) and the creation of the 2018 “Overall Concept for the Participation and Integration of Refugees” by the Berlin Senate. These cases illustrate how participation is negotiated but faces implementation challenges like bureaucratic hurdles and resource limitations.

A key finding is that heterogeneous actors beyond the traditional corporatist system are involved in regulating LMI. While participation is discussed, refugees often remain excluded from regulatory processes. However, recent Berlin initiatives like “Womentoring” and “BeVisible 2023” are countering this trend. Additionally, migrant organizations, such as “DaMigra e.V.”, are gaining influence through lobbying efforts.

To understand not just the postulation of participation as a value but its practical implementation, this study employs a practice-theoretical field analysis. Social fields are conceptualized as ensembles of actors, especially organizations, coordinating social interactions and relations around issues in time-space (Windeler 2021), shaping constellations of paths and developments in refugee LMI. The research utilizes a processual multi-level analysis to capture the dynamics between organizations and fields (Windeler/Jungmann 2023). This approach reveals how fields combine elements of state structures, civil society engagement, and refugee self-organization, transcending traditional boundaries. Based on a qualitative research, it contributes to the understanding of how refugee participation is practically organized in Berlin's LMI efforts highlighting the potential of social fields as innovative coordination forms for addressing complex societal challenges.