Impact of informal mechanisms on refugee integration: the role of religious institutions

Details

Supervisors

Parienté, William

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences économiques, orientation générale, à finalité approfondie

Abstract

This Master’s Thesis wishes to understand whether religion plays a role in the social, economic and cultural integration of refugees in Germany. Relying on the “IAB-BAMF- SOEP Survey of Refugees” and exploiting the local-level variation of local churches across Germany, this Master’s thesis wants to understand whether the presence of religious institutions influences the integration process of refugees. Reduced-form regressions show that religious institutions, regardless of the refugees’ religious affiliation, bring major benefits in terms of economic integration, especially for employment. Effects are significant for both men and women, with the former benefitting more than the latter, and for those age groups more likely to be in the job market. Benefits are found for people both attending and non attending religious services, even though people participating in religious meetings reap more benefits than the latter. This suggests that, while religiosity might be a mechanism through which the presence of religious institutions positively affects refugees’ integration, it might not be the only one. While in terms of social integration people living in areas with a higher density of religious institutions are more likely to miss other people, no significant effect has to be found on cultural integration.