The production of “evidence” for migrant integration policy in the European Union

Abstract The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of advancing a science-for-policy paradigm, developing resources and infrastructures where “evidence” in various forms can be produced, collected, and applied into policy. This article investigates the production of “useful” knowledge in the policy area of migrant integration, in a system of research–policy configurations mediated by EU institutions. The article asks: What kind of structures are set in place to support migrant integration governance with “evidence,” what counts as “evidence,” whose expertise is sought out, and what are the implications for wider debates on mobility and diversity? First, I map and classify the key channels for research–policy collaboration at inter- and supranational levels, where researchers, policymakers, and practitioners interact to produce, exchange, and disseminate various forms of knowledge on migrants and their integration. I then explore the nature of said knowledge, analyzing the various data, statistics, and indicators that are the result on such research–policy collaboration. This article finds that the EU-level ecosystem of evidence production both makes social scientific knowledge indispensable for migrant integration governance and produces ‘integration’ simultaneously as a measurable and manageable (objective) social issue, and a common European problem. I discuss possible implications of this “policy-relevant” knowledge production and propose a research agenda for an in-depth exploration of its effects on the governance of migranticized and racialized populations.