Main Research Results

The main results of the research conducted during its first four years (2014–2018) consist in the analysis of many of the aspects of the Migration-Mobility Nexus. The researchers have shown that contemporary migratory patterns and trajectories are shaped by the interplay of legal norms, economic drivers and societal factors. In order to study these processes, most projects have focused on the Swiss laboratory, which they have situated within the broader international academic debates.

Empirically, the nccr – on the move has produced a large quantity of original data. This data has only been disseminated since 2017, once the challenges related to the technical requirements connected to the linkage of different datasets were overcome. The resulting Longitudinal Data Set as well as the Migration-Mobility Survey describe the key characteristics of migration and mobility patterns and trajectories in contemporary Switzerland. These data serve as the common ground for explanatory research and they also constitute the backbone of the Migration-Mobility Indicators. Relying on them, the nccr – on the move has been able to refine its understanding of the interactions between migration and mobility, and provide a diachronic tool for trancing changes over time.

The key findings of the projects working on economic drivers have demonstrated that labor market dynamics largely explain which migrants come, where they work, and how long they stay. The presence of a significant number of immigrants on the Swiss labor market has, however, had important effects on dynamics of inclusion and exclusion that the resident population experiences and their attitudes towards immigrants. An important finding in this regard is that the Swiss economic success story is not accompanied by political and social acceptance.

The projects working on the legal order have revealed that the current regulatory framework at the sub-national, national, European and international level is ill-equipped to deal with the challenges arising from the different transnational patterns and trajectories of human movement. They have been able to identify the shortcomings of the current governance regime by combining social scientific investigations and legal expertise.

Finally, the research on societal dynamics has revealed that both migration and mobility have unleashed a plethora of inclusionary and exclusionary dynamics in the countries of origin, transit and destination, which produced numerous challenges. Many of the projects in this domain have focused on inclusion and exclusion mechanisms in selected “sites”, for example in immigrant detention centers or during naturalization procedures. These studies of policy implementation at the street-level highlight the impact of policy measures on the everyday life of the concerned immigrants and they point to broader societal processes of inclusion and exclusion.