The UneTra project (Unequal trajectories: Spatial dynamics in refugees' multidimensional integration) examines how the residential environment and residential mobility influence the integration of refugees in Germany.

The focus is on two groups: refugees who came to Germany around 2015 and refugees from Ukraine who have migrated to Germany since February 2022.

The project analyses the spatial distribution of refugees in Germany and compares the housing situation of Ukrainian refugees with that of earlier groups of refugees, who were subject to stricter residence regulations. It also examines how characteristics of the residential environment influence the educational integration of refugee children and adolescents.

The focus is on so-called arrival neighbourhoods, where refugees often find housing. These neighbourhoods are often characterised by factors that make integration difficult (e.g. high poverty rates). On the other hand, they offer migrant infrastructures that can facilitate the integration of newcomers.

The results of UneTra should provide valuable insights for effective accommodation and integration policies.

For the analysis, longitudinal, geocoded survey and administrative data and experimental data are combined. This enables investigations at different spatial levels. The data are supplemented by information on neighbourhood resources, such as migrant infrastructures, associations, companies or religious organisations. A combination of causal, experimental and descriptive methods is used.

The project components at LIfBi address two central questions:

1. Analysis of the spatial distribution of refugees: Investigation of the places of residence and types of accommodation of refugees from the main countries of origin of asylum seekers in 2014–2017 compared to those of Ukrainian refugees. Structural factors related to the distribution are taken into account.
2. Analysis of the educational integration of refugees: Investigation of how characteristics of the residential environment – in particular social structure and migrant infrastructure – influence the educational trajectories of refugee children and adolescents.

The integration of refugees is examined on the basis of the following dimensions: language, interethnic contacts, sense of belonging, education, labour market participation, health and subjective well-being.

• Project lead and application:
  • Prof. Dr. Marcel Helbig, Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi)
  • Prof. Dr. Yuliya Kosyakova, Institute for Employment Research (IAB) of the German Federal Employment Agency
  • Dr. Jonas Wiedner, WZB Berlin Social Science Center (WZB)
  • Dr. Gisela Will, Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi)
• Project management at LIfBi: Prof. Dr. Marcel Helbig and Dr. Gisela Will
• Project duration: 04/2025 – 12/2027
• Funding: Leibniz Association (as part of the Leibniz Competition)
• Link to this page: www.lifbi.de/UneTra