The increasing share of immigrants and their descendants in Western societies poses a major policy challenge. In almost all European societies, the consequences of immigration represent a key topic on both the public and political agenda, and for good reason: if people are structurally disadvantaged or discriminated against, they might eventually retreat from society and develop ‘parallel’ societies, which is of utmost importance to the ongoing debate on social cohesion (Portes, Fernandeze-Kelly and Haller 2005). Consequently, persistent or growing socioeconomic disparities among ethnic lines are of great societal concern.

The GEMM project has significant policy and practical relevance encompassing three main areas:

1. We focus on the situation of ethnic minorities who are disadvantaged on the labour market.
2. We highlight that migrant and minority individuals are embedded in a social and institutional context, which affects ethnic inequality and thus the opportunities for growth in Europe.
3. We advance scholarly knowledge by adopting an internationally comparative perspective.

The analyses carried out in the GEMM project are highly relevant to major immigrant societies in Europe, enabling policy recommendations on Europe-wide solutions informed by scientific evidence.

The project aims to be innovative on a substantive as well as methodological level.  The objectives of this project are reflected in the substantive work packages (WPs) 2 to 5.