Abstract
This article examines the extent to which migrant organizations in Germany show transnational characteristics. We draw on data collected via standardized interviews with 306 secular German migrant organizations through a CATI survey and differentiate migrant organizations by their transnational activities and objectives. In effect, the cross-border aspect plays a minor role only. In line with the current research, the organizational landscape is strongly influenced by political opportunities, leading to a clearly assimilatory effect, as the German political system has become considerably more open toward the organizations in recent years. The development of migrant organizations is embedded in a progressive social integration of their clientele. So, the importance of cross-border connections is reduced over time, and the national aspect is thus of remarkable importance for the development of the organizations.
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Notes
For an overview of relevant studies, see Morales/Pilati (2014, pp. 81–85) and Chaudhary/Moss 2019, pp. 2–4).
See in particular Koopmans (2004), who operationalizes the transnational articulation of interests of MOs in different national contexts based on published claims.
According to MIPEX, there are relatively low barriers to found MOs in Germany; see Huddleston (2015).
For example, the authors point at the positive effect of liberalization in Latin American countries on the transnational political activities of their communities abroad (p. 5).
CATI = Computer-assisted telephone interviewing.
The length of the interviews was 30–60 min. Twenty attempts were made to find a competent interview partner in the MO and 20 additional waves to conduct an interview with that person. The interviews were conducted by 16 bilingual interviewers in the late afternoon/evenings and on weekends in order to reach the organizations which basically rely on the work of volunteers. For the project report including detailed methodology of the survey, see Halm et al. (2020, pp.131–142).
See for the questionnaire of the survey (German language version): www. zfti.de.
See Halm et al. (2020, pp. 131–142) for detailed methodology.
This estimate is based on a representative survey of 6,300 non-profit organizations, mostly registered associations, with reference to official registers as the survey population.
In view of the methodology of the ZiviZ survey (register of associations), a comparison with our contact lists, not with the organizations actually active, reached, or interviewed, is appropriate here (cf. Primer et al. 2017, p. 50).
According to Halm et al. 2012 (p. 42), 35% of Turkish and 40% of Polish MOs are active in the religious field.
The samples also include organizations that have institutional members themselves, to which other organizations may in turn belong.
We categorized 21 origin countries or world regions.
Friedrichs et al. (2020) report similar characteristics of MOs in their survey, which speaks for an unbiased sample of our survey. Both Friedrichs et al. (2020) and the present article may underrepresent looser, informal organizations and initiatives who are less responsive to scientific survey. On the other hand, both surveys used different methodology (online survey vs. CATI), with similar results nevertheless.
There is a non-significant correlation between receiving state funding for social services and being classified as a national immigrant organization. National immigrant organizations receive 49% of such funds, others 36% (n = 297).
National immigrant organizations who did not want to improve the living situation of their clientele or the representation of immigrants’ political interests were excluded from this analysis.
Friedrichs et al. (2020, p. 25) come to the same conclusion, although it should be noted that they discuss the cross-border orientation of MOs only in passing.
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Halm, D., Sauer, M. Cross-Border Structures and Orientations of Migrant Organizations in Germany. Int. Migration & Integration 24, 49–66 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00927-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00927-w