1. towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM):
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Dr. Mikołaj Pawlak, Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialisation, University of Warsaw, NIEM Project Researcher
Ms. Agnieszka Kulesa, PhD candidate, Collegium of Socio-Economics, SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Head of Migration Policy Programme at the Institute of Public Affairs
Projekt “Monitoring i poprawa integracji beneficjentów ochrony międzynarodowej” jest współfinansowany z Programu Krajowego Funduszu Azylu, Migracji i Integracji
2nd EUMIGRO Conference
„Migration and refugee crisis: the EU and its member states between obligation, self-interest and goodwill"
SGH Warsaw School of Economics
21 March 2018

2. Outline of the presentation
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Outline of the presentation
Part I: Project background
Project history & key actors
Aims & participants
Project design
Part II: Evidence from Poland
Building bridges and fostering participation
Construction and operationalization of indicators
Challenges and conclusions for policy

3. Part I: Project background
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Part I: Project background

4. Project history & key actors
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Project history & key actors
Full project title: National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM). Measuring and improving integration of beneficiaries of international protection, 2016–2021.
2012–2013: the pilot project („Refugee integration and the use of indicators: evidence from Central Europe”) with the aim to evaluate the integration policies of four Central European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria).
2016: NIEM starts based on the pilot project in Central Europe.
Project leader: Institute of Public Affairs; strategic partners: UNHCR, Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Minitstry of the Interior and Administration, Institute of Social Prevention and Resocialisation, University of Warsaw.
Coordinating research partner: Migration Policy Group, Brussels.  

5. Aims & participants Aims of the project:
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Aims & participants
Aims of the project:
to prepare key actors in 15 EU Member States to better face the current challenges regarding integration of beneficiaries of international protection ;
to improve the integration outcomes of beneficiaries of international protection;
to establish a comprehensive evaluation mechanism of the integration of beneficiaries of international protection (provide evidence on gaps in integration standards, identify promising practices and evaluate the effects of legislative and policy changes).

6. Aims & participants Participants:
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Aims & participants
Participants:
Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants, Association Multi Kulti Collective (Bulgaria)
People in Need (Czech Republic)
France Terre d'Asile (France)
ANTIGONE (Greece)
Menedék – Hungarian Association for Migrants (Hungary)
Fondazione ISMU – Initiatives and Studies on Multi-ethnicity (Italy)
Providus (Latvia)
Diversity Development Group (Lithuania)
Maastricht University (Netherlands)
Institute of Public Affairs (Poland)
Centro de Estudos Sociais, University of Coimbra (Portugal)
The Foundation for an Open Society (Romania)
The Centre for Public Innovation (Romania)
Peace Institute (Slovenia)
CIDOB – Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (Spain)
Malmö University (Sweden)

7. Project design Research component:
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Project design
Research component:
a mechanism based on a set of indicators;
online evaluation tool;
three evaluation rounds (baseline, evaluation 1, evaluation 2);
national & European reports after each evaluation round;
dissemination events (national & European).
Advocacy component:
national coalitions;
international coalition.
To answer these questions, NIEM is developing comprehensive, reliable and sustainable data collection methods on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. It will provide evidence that can support the establishment of integration policies maximising the potential of newly arrived beneficiaries of international protection. More than 150 NIEM indicators build and expand on the current EU integration standards and cover different areas and types of expertise, various stakeholders and diverse types of evidence. The wide range of indicators will allow NIEM to analyse the interlinkages among the accessibility and security of the residence permit for beneficiaries of international protection and their families and integration within the different socio-economic and socio-cultural fields. The indicators offer a unique combination of input, policy (or sustainability) and outcome indicators which allows for anticipation and identification of the most pressing obstacles to integration, from the policies on the paper to the outcomes in practice and from the reception phase of asylum seekers to equal opportunities for beneficiaries of international protection. NIEM also calls for the participation of different stakeholders – governments, local authorities, social partners and NGOs, as well as beneficiaries of international protection themselves. The indicators require the analysis of different types of evidence as well, including national statistics, quantitative and qualitative research, independent evaluation, internal audit and self-assessment.
Four types of indicators on the efficiency of different integration policies:
Policy indicators: Are laws and policies in place to implement integration principles?
Administrative inputs: Has the government invested in the infrastructure to implement these policies and services in partnership with all relevant stakeholders (local authorities, social partners, NGOs)?
Financial inputs: Does the governments commit sufficient national resources and effectively use EU financial support?
Outcomes: Do beneficiaries of international protection who access and use these services have greater participation and well-being in society?

8. National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
NIEM calls for the participation of different stakeholders:
governments,
local authorities,
social partners and NGOs,
beneficiaries of international protection themselves.
To turn the results and evidence of NIEM into tangible and concrete improvements of integration of beneficiaries of international protection in the partner countries, each project partner establishes national coalitions. These national coalitions, involving representatives of public institutions, academia, NGOs, migrant organizations and beneficiaries themselves, will be aimed at: promoting NIEM and its outcomes in each participating country; tightening relations between key stakeholders, experts and practitioners; and monitoring the implementation of the recommendations and advocating for their mainstreaming in the participating countries.
In addition, an international NIEM coalition involving key European stakeholders will complement the national coalitions and advocate for the improvement of integration policies of beneficiaries of international protection on the EU level. Through this early and continuous involvement in the project activities of key stakeholders in integration policy and practice, the results of NIEM reports can contribute to the shaping of European and national policy solutions. Thus, NIEM will allow for ongoing adaptations of integration policies towards beneficiaries of international protection. Moreover, the results of NIEM are helpful beyond the policy objectives. Its evidence on policy gaps and potential integration capacities is essential in addressing the fears and reservations of those European citizens, who are not against the idea of asylum, but rather perplexed and doubtful about their country’s integration capacity and the possible consequences of the increased number of beneficiaries of international protection.

9. Part II: Evidence from Poland
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Part II: Evidence from Poland

10. National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs

11. National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
To answer these questions, NIEM is developing comprehensive, reliable and sustainable data collection methods on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection. It will provide evidence that can support the establishment of integration policies maximising the potential of newly arrived beneficiaries of international protection. More than 150 NIEM indicators build and expand on the current EU integration standards and cover different areas and types of expertise, various stakeholders and diverse types of evidence. The wide range of indicators will allow NIEM to analyse the interlinkages among the accessibility and security of the residence permit for beneficiaries of international protection and their families and integration within the different socio-economic and socio-cultural fields. The indicators offer a unique combination of input, policy (or sustainability) and outcome indicators which allows for anticipation and identification of the most pressing obstacles to integration, from the policies on the paper to the outcomes in practice and from the reception phase of asylum seekers to equal opportunities for beneficiaries of international protection. NIEM also calls for the participation of different stakeholders – governments, local authorities, social partners and NGOs, as well as beneficiaries of international protection themselves. The indicators require the analysis of different types of evidence as well, including national statistics, quantitative and qualitative research, independent evaluation, internal audit and self-assessment.

12. Building bridges and fostering participation: Assumptions
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Building bridges and fostering participation: Assumptions
Common Basic Principle 1: Integration is a dynamic, two-way process of mutual accommodation by all immigrants and residents of Member States.
Common Basic Principle 7: Frequent interaction between immigrants and Member State citizens is a fundamental mechanism for integration. Shared forums, inter-cultural dialogue, education about immigrants and immigrant cultures, and stimulating living conditions in urban environments enhance the interactions between immigrants and Member State citizens.
Common Basic Principle 9: The participation of immigrants in the democratic process and in the formulation of integration policies and measures, especially at the local level, supports their integration.  
The Common Basic Principles for Immigrant Integration Policy in the EU were adopted by the Justice and Home Affairs Council in November 2004 and form the foundations of EU initiatives in the field of integration.
Operationalization of these assumptions into 12 indicators

13. Building bridges and fostering participation: Overview of indicators
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Building bridges and fostering participation: Overview of indicators
Expectations of mutual accommodation by beneficiaries of international protection and host society members
Awareness raising on the specific situation of beneficiaries of international protection
Coordination with regional and local authorities on social cohesion
Encouragement of voluntary initiatives to complement public policies
Number of beneficiaries of international protection receiving one-to-one mentorship
Number of legal guardians for unaccompanied minors
Support for involvement of beneficiaries of international protection in civic activities
Involvement in national consultation processes
Involvement in local consultation processes
Funding for associations working on the socio-cultural participation of beneficiaries
Number of beneficiaries of international protection in civic activities
Number of NGOs in the country run by beneficiaries of international protection  

14. Building bridges and fostering participation: Policy indicators
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Building bridges and fostering participation: Policy indicators
Expectations of mutual accommodation by beneficiaries of international protection and host society members
Does the national integration strategy on beneficiaries of international protection puts an explicit expectation/obligation on the receiving society to be actively involved in the integration of beneficiaries of international protection?
Awareness raising on the specific situation of beneficiaries of international protection
Are there any publicly funded campaigns to sensitize the host society about the situation of beneficiaries of international protection and target prejudices and perceptions among them?
Indicators 1 and 2.
(1) Since october 2016 there is no official valid migration policy document in Poland, so NO!
(2) Yes, there are ad-hoc publicly funded campaigns.

15. National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Building bridges and fostering participation: Administrative output indicators
Coordination with regional and local authorities on social cohesion
Does the state: (a) require regional and local authorities to set up strategies referring to the interaction of the receiving society with beneficiaries of international protection? (b) provide means for regional and local authorities for the implementation of these strategies (i.e. additional funding, staff trainings, platform for exchange on best practices)?
Involvement in local consultation processes
Does the state support regional and local authorities to have a permanent body to consult with beneficiaries of international protection on issues of their regional and local integration?
Indicator 3, 4, 7, 8 and 9.
(3) No!
(9) No!

16. Building bridges and fostering participation: Challenges
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Building bridges and fostering participation: Challenges
There is limited involvement of civil society, including NGOs by the authorities in consultation and shaping policy and legal provisions towards beneficiaries of international protection in Poland.
Despite the lack of the state integration policy, there are several examples of good practice at the local level with regard to building bridges.
Major social partners, which could play a positive role, have so far had limited involvement in promoting and assisting asylum-seekers and beneficiaries of international protection in their daily life in Poland.

17. For more information please visit: www.forintegration.eu
National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (NIEM)
towards participatory measurement of policy outputs
Thank you!
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