Interview with Meta van der Linden

Causal evidence in the study of migration and integration is hard to come by, as these phenomena happen in a real-life environment and are practically impossible to simulate in a scientifically controlled experiment. A unique situation developed in Rotterdam which allowed for the use of experimental methods to investigate the effect of policy on recently arrived refugees' integration. With a sharp eye, keen interest, a multidisciplinary team, and societal partners Meta van der Linden studied the situation. What exactly are you researching? "My research broadly deals with inclusion and exclusion of immigrants. Focusing on immigrant exclusion, I want to understand what factors feed into prejudice toward people with a migration background and how interethnic relations can be improved through social contact. Focusing on immigrant inclusion, I study the economic and socio-cultural integration of recently arrived refugees and how integration is shaped by its social and policy context. For instance, I study whether integration policy is effective or how refugee integration is influenced by the way refugees are welcomed in the receiving society." The EUR Bridge project you have worked on at Erasmus University Rotterdam was recently completed.