A recent German study conducted by researchers from the universities of Konstanz and Bamberg, along with the Nuremberg Institute for Employment Market Research, sheds light on significant disparities in asylum approval rates across Germany’s 16 federal states. Published in Migration Studies by Oxford University Press, the study utilized data from Germany’s Federal Bureau for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) to analyze asylum decision-making processes.
The study highlights puzzling variations in asylum approval rates between states, with some regions showing double-digit variances in the number of applications granted. These differences are believed to be influenced by regional political attitudes towards migration, with skepticism towards migrants prevailing among both the general population and state governments.
Surprisingly, states governed by the Social Democrats (SPD) exhibited lower asylum approval rates compared to those governed by the Christian Democrats (CDU). The study suggests that BAMF officials, responsible for asylum decisions, may have significant interpretive leeway in determining eligibility, potentially allowing political biases to affect outcomes.
While workload and knowledge about an applicant’s home country did not significantly impact decision-making, measures such as regular process improvement courses and fairness checks were found to make a difference. The authors advocate for increased transparency and systematic evaluation of asylum decisions to mitigate biases and ensure fairness across Germany.
Analyzing data from 2015 to 2017, the study also reveals disparities in asylum approval rates for different nationalities, emphasizing the need for a more uniform approach in decision-making processes. Similar trends have been observed in other countries such as the USA, UK, and Switzerland.
Led by researchers Lidwina Gundacker, Yuliya Kosyakova, and Gerald Schneider, the study underscores the importance of understanding regional attitudes towards immigration in shaping asylum outcomes. It calls for ongoing efforts to address biases and enhance fairness in the German asylum system through regular supervision sessions and systematic evaluation of decision-making processes.