Digital platforms for social inclusion: the case of an information platform for refugees

The number of people fleeing their home countries has increased drastically in recent years. Host countries such as Germany are striving for the social inclusion of refugees. From a neoliberalist view, social inclusion comprises access to social resources, such as the labor market. The social justice view goes further, interpreting social inclusion as the participation of refugees as equal members of society. Digital platforms can contribute to social inclusion through their mechanisms of openness, generativity, and network effects. Drawing on the case of Integreat, an information platform for refugees in Germany, we show how these digital platform mechanisms supported the access and participation aspects of social inclusion. The case study serves as a starting point for research at the intersection of the literature streams of digital platforms and social inclusion and, more broadly, informs the use of digital platforms for social causes.