Dr. Rainer Schmidt

Dr Rainer Schmidt joined the team at MIDEM – Mercator Forum on Migration and Democracy in June 2026.

His current research project, ‘German and European Migration Policy – A View from the Outside’, examines the perception of German and European migration policy from the perspective of regions of origin and transit. The starting point is the assumption that Europe’s self-perception as a values-driven actor differs significantly from how it is perceived outside Europe – with far-reaching consequences for migration, integration and political debates.

The study focuses in particular on the following questions:

• How are German and European migration policies perceived and assessed outside Europe?
• What images, narratives and political interpretations shape the perceptions of potential migrants regarding Germany and Europe?
• What influence do external actors and geopolitical developments have on European migration policy and its perception?

The study combines perspectives from migration policy and the history of ideas, and deliberately looks outwards. It analyses previously published material to identify differences between self-perception and external perception, and to examine their significance for migration decisions and integration processes. In the long term, this theoretical approach is to be supplemented by empirical data collection, such as interviews and surveys.

Academic Background and Expertise

After studying philosophy, political science and history at the University of Freiburg, Trent University (Canada) and Goethe University Frankfurt, Dr Rainer Schmidt obtained his PhD and completed his habilitation at Dresden University of Technology. He was a long-standing DAAD lecturer at the University of São Paulo, as well as at the University of Rwanda and the Turkish-German University in Istanbul. Further visiting lectureships took him to the Universities of Rostock and Bayreuth, amongst others. He is currently a Research Fellow at MIDEM at Dresden University of Technology.

His research focuses on the history of ideas, constitutional and democratic studies, as well as the areas of colonial legacy and the culture of remembrance.