Research Group 3 deals with the regulation of migration by European states. Its focus is on political-institutional settings at the national level and, in particular, policies, legal norms, or regulations aimed at affecting the volume, origin, direction, and composition of migration. In this sense, immigration policy is a primary field of study –  including its various sub-fields, such as labor migration, family reunification, and asylum/ refugee policy. In particular, Research Group 3 is concerned with (a) how, to what extent, and in which domains did immigration policies change in Europe in the last few years and (b) how such changes came about and in which ways were they justified by policy-makers. In addition, given that emigration is also a concern for several European states (particularly in the East and South), Research Group 3 also aims to look at how these states have attempted to create policy incentives to curb outflows. 

• Analysis of the effects of migration on the immigration and integration policies of European countries
• Provision of ad-hoc expertise (e.g. on the political processing of disputes about migration and integration policy)
• Reporting about events of Europe-wide significance (e.g. about national elections)
• Transfer (inter alia participation in conferences, communication with the press)