Managing Migration in Federal States; The Role of the Sub-National Level of Governance in Canada and Germany

This paper has a dual purpose: First, from a more theoretical perspective, it will conceptualize immigration and integration policies in federal states focusing on the dynamics of federal-regional (provincial) relations in shaping this policy field. The paper will identify those factors that have contributed to the gradual dissolution of policy competence to the subnational level. Second, the paper will engage in an empirical analysis of two federal states: Canada and Germany. In both countries the policy prerogative has shifted in favor of the sub-national level of governance: In Canada, the introduction of ‘provincial nominee programs’ and the decentralization of settlement services has led to a process of political institution building and a host of innovative policy initiatives. In Germany the momentum in developing innovative approaches to economic, social and political integration of migrants has clearly moved toward the Länder level. The transatlantic comparison will focus on processes of policy formation, the main actors involved in these processes and the discursive environment in which they occur. Who has promoted this change? Where does the impetus for granting regions/ Länder, provinces more competence in managing migration and integration come from? Is it primarily driven by a functionalist logic of advancing more effective policy solutions, competing (party) political initiatives or an overall decentralizing trend in federal states?