Comparing what for who? Making new connections in the politics of migration and integration.

One of the central problems in comparative studies of migration and integration has been the interaction between academic and political agendas, concepts and concerns. National models are not just used for academic reasons. Their use and persuasiveness is also due to the political relations in which questions of migration and integration emerge. European policy makers have been looking for two things in particular: (1) policy regimes that turn diversity and migration into manageable problems; and more specifically (2) policy regimes that reaffirm and reproduce the cohesion and identity of the nation-state. Much research has gone into directly answering those concerns. However, these concerns do not unproblematically reflect the processes on the ground, are not necessarily the most relevant, and may not always be appropriate. A future vision of comparative research must therefore also reflect on the all-too-instrumental relationship between research and policy. Moreover, the paper will present ideas about how to make comparisons that can be both policy relevant and publically relevant, without reducing the one to the other. This involves the identification of common patterns and mechanism, while also drawing out unique particularities.