According to the MIPEX index, Spain ranked tenth (out of 25 countries) in terms of immigrant integration policies, showing its best performance in the area of access to job markets (second) and its weakest in political participation, access to citizenship, and anti-discrimination (ranked 17th in this last category). The different approaches taken on immigrant integration issues from the perspective of different integration plans (national, regional or local) limit the effectiveness of immigrant integration policy. An important policy trend is to foster the development of specific integration programs for new immigrants by means of integration policies focused heavily on actions aimed at improving access to local resources and shelter (short-term focus on integration) but more attention needs to be paid to the adoption of medium and long-term integration measures. Existing integration measures insufficiently treat integration as a “two-way” process which requires the adaptation of both migrants and the host society...
Immigration policy and its impact a comparative study with a focus on Spain
Thomas Huddleston
Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Group
Thomas Huddleston is a policy analyst at the Migration Policy Group, a European think-and-do-tank. He coordinates MPG’s research for European cooperation on national integration policies, including the second and third editions of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) (published in February 2011) and the third edition of the European Commission’s Handbook on Integration.
