Research on integration from the angle of both the receiving and arriving community in three European countries (Croatia, Germany and Sweden) and Jordan has been conducted by the FOCUS research team using quantitative and qualitative methods on data collected through focus groups and a survey. From a methodological point of view this has been challenging both in the setting up to ensure comparability and also in the analysis of data.

The Forum will be organised as an open dialogue on conceptual and methodological challenges in integration research. FOCUS researchers will start by presenting methodological challenges and lessons learnt from data collection and from conducting comparative research in four countries with distinct characteristics in terms of migration history, policies, opportunity structures and welfare systems. After that, the floor will be open to participants to comment on this presentation and to share their own challenges in researching integration or ideas to overcome such difficulties.