Integrationsindex: Zur rechtlichen Integration von AusländerInnen in ausgewählten europäischen Ländern

Abstract: In recent years the need for indicators that measure the integration of migrant workers and foreigners in general has often been voiced. But most of the time scholars in the field of international migration have in mind single-indicator measures. By contrast, this article represents the first attempt to construct a multi-indicator index for the legal integration of migrant workers from non-EU (or other privileged) countries in eight European states (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland). This index should primarily work as an instrument of representation. It makes possible synchronous cross-country comparisons as well as the establishment of time series for individual countries. In this first tentative version of an index of integration five domains of legal integration were taken into account: 1) residence and permanent residence, 2) access to the labour market, 3) family reunification, 4) legal status of the second generation of immigrants, and 5) naturalization. The major results of the index in its current version can be summed up as follows: First, there are enormous differences of legal integration in the eight countries studied which will pose great difficulties to the intended harmonization of immigration laws in Europe. Second, the three German speaking countries in the sample still have, generally speaking, the highest amounts of legal discrimination with Austria as the outstanding negative example: In four out of the five spheres analysed Austria shows the highest scores in legal discrimination.;