Algorithm helps to improve allocation of asylum seekers to municipalities
Can an algorithm be used to improve the distribution and allocation process of asylum seekers to municipalities in Germany? The “Match’In” pilot project has been examining this question during the last three years and has tested its findings in practice. The aim of the project partners, who include Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) in cooperation with the University of Hildesheim, is to systematically record and compare the individual requirements of asylum seekers and the structures in the municipalities. This should enable a more efficient and fairer distribution process that promotes integration and benefits refugees and society in the municipalities themselves. The prototype of the Match’In algorithm will be in use until fall 2024.
Making a better match
The research project team provided their support for implementation and evaluated the implementation stage. “At the end of the project, the team can confirm that the match process can be used successfully in the various federal states it was tested in,” says Prof. Dr. Hannes Schammann from the University of Hildesheim. Representatives from research, municipalities, the federal states and the German government will be discussing details from the evaluation and recommendations for the future during the conference of the German Network for Forced Migration Studies (Netzwerk Fluchtforschung e.V.) on September 17, 2024 in Bonn, Germany.
“The end of the planned project period is not the conclusion of the project,” explains Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel, project manager and head of the research area Migration, Refuge and Integration at FAU. “Rather, we are examining how the distribution process can be further developed during normal operation. Match’In provides an important impetus here.”
Which municipalities asylum seekers are allocated to during the asylum process is a decision with far-reaching consequences for those seeking asylum and for the municipalities taking them and one that is not self-determined for both sides. After an often long history of migration and stays in reception centers, asylum seekers arrive at a location where they are going to stay for a longer period of time. However, not enough consideration has been given as to whether this location is suitable for them.
This is because the allocation decision made at federal government level is primarily based on admission quotas and not on individual requirements or the resources of the municipalities. “This means that people are often allocated to municipalities where they don’t find suitable prospects or don’t have the opportunity to use their own skills. This often not only leads to dissatisfaction on both sides, but also to relocation to another place as soon as this is legally possible,” explains project manager Dr. Danielle Kasparick. “This means important initial successes in integration are lost that involve high costs for the municipalities. We would like to eliminate these avoidable “mismatches” with Match’In.”
The aim of the project was to develop an algorithm based on scientific findings while being practicable. Together, the project partners have developed relevant matching criteria, collected them systematically and incorporated them into the distribution process. This was made possible by the close collaboration between the various stakeholders from research and experts in the field. The participation of the research area “Migration, Refuge and Integration” (FAU) and the “Migration Policy Research Group” (University of Hildesheim) meant that teams with a social science background were involved in the project and IT expertise was provided by the Software Systems Engineering working group at the University of Hildesheim. The team of the pilot project, which was funded by the Mercator Foundation, was rounded out on the implementation side by the ministries responsible in Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate as well as by over 20 pilot municipalities.
For the matching process, the municipalities complete a profile in specially-developed software. In the preliminary reception centers of the federal states, advisory staff ask the asylum seekers about their needs and skills. Using the Match’In algorithm, information from both sides is compared and suggestions for suitable allocation are made. These suggestions provide staff at the allocation authorities in the federal states with information as to how well suited the municipalities taking part are to the person seeking asylum. This can be used to make the decision for allocation, with the support of technology, but not automated, since the final decision is still made by staff members.
Detailed information on the project: https://matchin-projekt.de
The results will be discussed at 2pm on September 17, 2024 in Bonn: https://ffvt.net/de/events/fluchtforschungskonferenz-2024/results/roundtable-it-s-a-match-ergebnisse-des-matchin-projektes-zur
The presentation can be viewed via livestream: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82671729044
Further information:
Prof. Dr. Petra Bendel
Research area Migration, Refuge and Integration
petra.bendel@fau.de
Dr. Danielle Kasparick and Prof. Dr. Hannes Schammann
University of Hildesheim
Migration Policy Research Group
danielle.kasparick@uni-hildesheim.de