Recent trends in global migration have raised public concerns about the potentially negative consequences of ethnic diversity for social solidarity in Western societies. Few studies to date however have sought to explain how trust and cooperation can conversely be sustained in diverse settings. Against this backdrop, the Making Diversity Work project aims to create novel behavioral indicators of social cohesion across multiethnic German neighborhoods in order to analyze the emergence of positive community relations.
This new data will be used to (i) systematically test novel theories about how different features of diverse neighborhoods contribute to local cooperation, (ii) disentangle the behavioral mechanisms underlying social cohesion in multiethnic settings, and (iii) develop a richer understanding of social relations that takes both natives’ and minorities’ experiences into account. Overall, results from this research will open up new scientific perspectives on cooperation in diverse communities and generate critical policy knowledge about how to “make diversity work” in an era of rapid demographic change.
For inquiries, please contact us at: makingdiversitywork@uni-mannheim.de
Language Tandem Study
Multiple global and local crises have led to an increase in forced migration all over the world. In recent years, Germany has been host to large numbers of refugees, and questions about the integration of new arrivals have surfaced in the public debate.
Seminal theories focus on the integrative role of interpersonal contact between refugees and the local native population. But while contact has been shown to have multiple positive effects, it is less clear what factors can foster contact between the two groups.
In this study, we focus on language tandem partnerships as a form of social contact that simultaneously fosters German skills among refugees. In a field experimental design in multiple cities across Germany, we explore the notion that it is easier for refugees to establish social ties in cities and neighborhoods where people are more similar to them in terms of age.
If you are interested in taking part in this study, more information can be found here.
Links to data protection guidelines related to this project can be found here in English and German.
Funded by the Emmy-Noether program of the German Research Foundation (DFG).
Hosted at the Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES).
