The report ‘Wir haben das geschafft – und uns verändert’ discusses the consequences of the ‘long summer of migration’. It was published by the research initiative ‘Challenges of Migration, Integration and Exclusion’ (WiMi) by the Max Planck Society, which is comprised of six Max Planck Institutes. They found that while the rapid intake of a large number of refugees was a challenge, it was largely overcome and was the catalyst for numerous changes. Particularly successful was the registration, intake and housing of around one million newcomers within a very short timeframe. Throughout this process, governments proved not only their efficiency but also their flexibility and ability to learn. However, this had considerable unintentional consequences on both national and European migration politics regarding legal and administrative bureaucracy at various levels. Individual or collective decisions are not always easy to understand for those seeking protections, which can cause: (1) the decisions to seem arbitrary; (2) uncertainty; and (3) a lack of participation.
In light of the significant events in 2015/2016, the research initiative was established at the instigation of the President of the Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr Martin Stratmann, He sought to bring together the expertise of the Max Planck Society on migration and to further develop and consolidate the new field of displacement research.
The three-year project was led by Prof. Dr Marie-Claire Foblets (MPI for Social Anthropology) and Prof. Dr Steven Vertovec (MPI for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity). During the establishment of this project, the research association was also led by Prof. Dr Ayelet Shachar (MPI for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity). The project coordinator was Dr Zeynep Yanasmayan (MPI for Social Anthropology). In addition, Max Planck Institutes in Berlin, Heidelberg, Munich and Rostock also participated.