Strengthening Participation in State and Civil Society Institutions: Perspectives of Migrant Parents (PARMEL)
Network project
Political (in)equality in the post-migrant democracy (PoMigDem)
Project description
Democratic societies also thrive on civic engagement. Participation in state and civil society institutions enables individuals to actively help shape social processes, express their own positions and improve the community for the benefit of all. Such forms of political participation are particularly important for people without German citizenship. Against this background, the project Strengthening participation in state and civil society institutions: Perspectives of migrant parents (PARMEL) is investigating the institutional and contextual conditions of parental participation in central socialisation institutions of their children as part of the DeZIM joint project Political (in)equality in post-migrant democracy (PoMigDem). The focus is particularly on the hitherto little-researched perspective of parents with a history of immigration.
The aim of the project is to
- to identify institutional factors that favour or inhibit the participation of parents
with a history of immigration and - based on these findings, to generate approaches
that strengthen the participation of migrant parents.
The project pursues a mixed-methods approach that incorporates the experiences of parents with and without a history of migration in different institutional (daycare centres, schools, clubs) and regional contexts (e.g. urban/rural, diverse/homogeneous). The aim is to visualise similarities and differences in parental participation processes under varying conditions. The study examines what opportunities for participation parents perceive, what motives underlie their participation and what institutional conditions they consider necessary for greater participation. In addition, the diversity approaches and measures for the participation of migrant parents actually pursued by state and civil society institutions will be mapped. In a co-productive process with migrant organisations and representatives, starting points for political and institutional interventions to intensify parental participation will be generated based on the findings, discussed with key stakeholders and then transferred into practice.
Research team
Project management:
Co-project management:
Dr. Alison Benbow, Prof. Dr. Philipp Jugert (Universität Duisburg-Essen, InZentIM)
Project coordination:
Scientific collaboration:
Student collaboration:
Viola Cernovskij (Humboldt-Universität, BIM), Emily Schulte (Universität Duisburg-Essen, InZentIM)
Network partner
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Integration and Migration Research (InZentIM)
- Mannheim Centre for European Social Research (MZES)
Practice co-operation
Federal Parents' Network of Migrant Organisations for Education & Participation (bbt)
Funding information
Funding organisation:
Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMFSFJ)
Duration
01/2025–12/2027
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