'mutatio Sub Pressura': The Syrian Refugee Crisis and the Remaking of German Youth Policy

Background

This paper examines the impact of the current refugee crisis on the provision of youth services in Germany. Youth policy in Germany defines the obligations of the federal government to provide certain programs and supports to all children and young adults (14 to 27 years) regardless of their immigration status. While the law establishes federal responsibility, actual delivery of programs and services is provided by municipal youth departments and local agencies. The recent influx of refugees in Germany represents a formidable challenge for youth policy as well as institutions across the entire spectrum of welfare provision. Although it is difficult to obtain accurate figures on refugee children and youth, recent estimates suggest that among the approximately 1.2 million asylum seekers in Germany there are at least 52,000 unaccompanied minors. These estimates do not include children and youth who came as part of a family unit but they illustrate the massive expansion of demand for children and youth services in Germany. Using a street-level perspective this study explores changes in processes of service delivery in response to the unprecedented arrival of refugee children and youth. The findings provide important implications for the future of youth and welfare policy in Germany. 

Methods

Data for the analysis comes from a larger comparative, longitudinal study of refugee youth in Germany and the United States. The analysis for this paper is based on administrative data and 30 interviews with youth workers, policy makers and municipal administrators in the city of Nuremberg. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted in German, transcribed and coded using Atlas.ti qualitative software package. The analysis focused on establishing a timeline of the crisis, contradicting policy directives and coping responses of front-line workers within the context of a bureaucratic structure characterized by hierarchical coordination and rule-bound decision making. In order to safeguard against analytic bias, preliminary analyses were presented at a qualitative workshop in St. Louis.

Results

The analysis revealed a dramatic breakdown of established institutional procedure followed by a rapid increase of youth services during the crisis. The municipal youth department and local agencies not only expanded their institutional capacity but also scaled up formal and informal inter-agency collaboration that allowed for a fast response to the crisis. There are however also early signs of an institutional reconciliation and readjustment of resources since the inflow of new refugees subsided following the closing of the Balkan route in early 2016. These dynamics of expansion and contraction of youth services occurred against the backdrop of a change in public perception of refugees and a shifting political discourse.

Conclusions and Implications

The findings in this paper illustrate a remarkable flexibility in the institutional systems charged with the provision of youth service during the crisis and offers a novel perspective on the possibilities of bottom-up policy change in Germany. But the results also demonstrate the difficulties of sustaining such changes in the face of shifting political priorities. The study will continue to trace these institutional developments and their impact on the adaptation of refugee youth.