Mercator Forum for Migration and Democracy (MIDEM)

Information:

• Project term: since 2017
• Financed by: Mercator Foundation
• Director: Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer
• Scientific coordination: Dr. Oliviero Angeli
• Communication: Felicitas von Mallinckrodt Email
• Collaboration of the TU Dresden with Duisburg-Essen University

© MIDEM

The topic of migration has particularly polarised European politics in recent years. The social and political challenges of this development are not yet clear. Studies are needed to examine the relationship between migration and democracy.

The Mercator Forum for Migration and Democracy (MIDEM) is investigating how migration shapes, and is shaped by, democratic policies, institutions and culture. The formats, instruments and processes used in politics to deal with migration in democratic societies are investigated - focussing on individual countries and comparatively at the European level. Central aspects of the research project are the perception of migration by democratic societies and the resultant fractures within society that become visible and potential strategies to combat this.

MIDEM is a project of the Technische Universität Dresden in collaboration with the Duisburg-Essen University, funded by the Mercator Foundation. It is led by Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer, TU Dresden.

Further information and notes about current events can be found on the project homepage as well as the MIDEM Twitter account.

MIDEM investigates

The work at MIDEM is organised into four interdisciplinary
research groups:
Crisis discourse on migration and integration
Populism
Institutional processing of migration
Migration in urban and regional contexts

MIDEM tasks

• promote national and international networking as well as interdisciplinary communication about migration.
• publish regular country reports and cross-sectional studies on central issues at the interface between migration and democracy.
• develop recommended actions to be implemented at the European level for handling migration in a democratic context.
• advise European, national and local policy and civil society.

MIDEM in the media

Media reports about MIDEM and contributions from MIDEM experts can be found here.

Current publications

• MIDEM Country Report “United Kingdom“ by Dr. Christian Wöhst
• MIDEM Policy Brief "Austrian Presidency of the EU and Asylum Policy in Europe: What is to be expected?“ by Manès Weisskircher
• Monograph “PEGIDA and New Right-Wing Populism in Germany" by Prof. Dr. Hans Vorländer, Maik Herold and Dr. Steven Schäller
  Further information about the book can be found here.

Other MIDEM publications can be found here.