MPhil/PhD Social Policy "Exploring the integration outcomes of immigrant youth on the both sides of the EU border - Evidence from Turkey and Greece"

The challenges faced by both young people and immigrants in EU and beyond are well-documented, however, only very little quantitative evidence is available about the unique struggles that immigrant youth face in their lives. Therefore, this research aims to provide solid quantitative evidence on the integration of young immigrants in Turkey and Greece. These neighbouring countries on the both sides of the EU border have both faced struggles in the recent years due to large immigrant inflows and internal problems, including economic and political instability, thus providing an interesting backdrop for this research setting; Have the EU policies on immigrant integration, together with the wider European Union initiatives on youth employment and inclusion, benefitted the young newcomers in Greece, when compared to their counterparts in Turkey? Or has Turkey been able to welcome immigrants with more job opportunities than its neighbour, which is still recovering from its economic crisis?
The quantitative analysis of the research will be conducted with EU-SILC and EU-LFS survey data, aiming to shed light on various dimensions of integration of immigrant youth, including economic, wellbeing and socio-political factors. The research will utilize regressions and descriptive analyses to draw a detailed quantitative overview on the subject. The comprehensive exploration of the factors affecting integration, accompanied with analyses on the impacts of existing integration policies, may stimulate further discussion about the actions needed to improve the integration of young immigrants in Turkey and Greece.