Ralf Ulrich

Immigration and Citizenship in Germany

In Germany, as in many other European democracies, immigration and citizenship are contested and contentious issues. In the German case it was both the magnitude of postwar and recent immigration as well as its interference with questions of identity that created politi cal and social conflict. As a result of World War II, the coexistence of two German states, and the persistence of ethnic German minori ties in central and eastern Europe, (West) Germanys migration and naturalization policy was inclusive toward expellees, GDR citizens, and co-ethnics. At the same time, the Federal Republic of Germany, despite the recruitment of several million foreign labor migrants and-until 1992-a relatively liberal asylum practice, did not develop similar mechanisms and policies of absorption and integration of its legal foreign residents. The late 1980s and 1990s first saw a rise in the number of ethnic German and foreign immigrants, then growing skepticism and even hostility towards immigrants. The political answer to this situation was the implementation of measures restrict ing the inflow of ethnic Germans, asylum seekers, and some other categories of foreigners, and the reduction of their access to both the labor market and public benefits. At the same time, several attempts were made to liberalize naturalization procedures and to install a more inclusive citizenship law in spite of serious opposition from the conservative part of the political spectrum. The most important change was the introduction of a new citizenship law in the summer of 1999 by the SPD/Green government. What remains unresolved is the politically and economically marginal position of the majority of

The Ethnic and Demographic Structure of Foreigners and Immigrants in Germany

Who are Germany’s immigrants? This would appear to be a simple question. But there is no simple answer, since the main criterion used by the German administration and reflected in the available statistical information is citizenship, not place of birth. This has to do with the fact that Germany has not viewed itself as an immigration country. Both the political and administrative apparatuses in Germany use the criterion of nationality as a point of orientation. This same criterion of citizenship is used in official statistics. The National Statistical Yearbook and similar state publications provide information about the German and foreign populations in Germany according to age, sex, marital status, birth rate, and so on. But no information can be found about place or country of birth for either Germans or non-Germans. Using nationality as a central defining criterion increases the tendency to see non-Germans regardless of their place of birth as the “true immi-grants,” whereas ethnic Germans from Central and Eastern Europe (Aussiedler) are not readily identified as such. Another reason for this is that most Germans view themselves as members of an ethnic nation defined by descent, rather than as members of a republican nation state.

Foreigners and the Social Insurance System in Germany

Most West European countries have experienced high immigration and growing ratios of foreign-bora residents among their populations in the last decades. The social security system is highly developed in this region. It redistributes a large part of the gross domestic product. Immigrants are often entitled to social security benefits and they pay contributions if they are gainfully employed. Immigrants are not totally homogeneous to natives in their socio-economic and demographic structure. Although it is obvious that they influence the social security system the direction of this influence is a priori not clear.

Vertriebene and Aussiedler — The Immigration of Ethnic Germans

At the end of the eighties the immigration of ethnic Germans from Eastern Europe to Germany increased sharply. This group constituted a substantial share of the recent immigration wave to Germany. The legal position of the Aussiedler is different from the position of other groups of immigrants, since they are considered to be German citizens. Several public programs have been created to promote the integration of these resettlers.

The Future Growth of Foreign Population in Germany

Immigration to Germany has increased to unprecedented levels in the past few years. Recent population projections deal with a wide range of immigration assumptions for the next decades. But they avoid to make explicit what the continuation of the current level would imply for the structure of population in Germany. Up to now only a very small minority of foreigners become naturalized under the ius sanguinis. This makes Germany’s share of foreign population look higher than in most other European countries. The future course of immigration will be influenced by its impact on national interest and wealth, by humanitarian considerations and by the ability of German institutions to regulate immigration. This paper cannot predict any of these factors. Instead, it tries to illustrate the demographic consequences of basic scenarios with regard to the share of foreigners within the population, their age composition, settlement structure, etc. Past immigration and the contribution of foreigners’ birth surplus are dicussed to get an analytical background.

Globalisierung, Migration und Bevölkerung — Handlungsoptionen für Deutschland

In der offentlichen Wahrnehmung werden internationale Wanderung und Globalisierung oft in einem Atemzug genannt und als Teil einer von ausen kommenden Bedrohung gesehen. Sie werden fur eine Reihe von Defiziten unserer Gesellschaft verantwortlich gemacht und losen Zukunftsangste aus.