CERP Draft II

CERP DRAFT II

Justin Miller

In a modern, capitalist society, the necessity of finding work in order to obtain money is obvious. However, for many newcomers into a new city or area, finding work can be difficult. This is especially true in the case of people forcibly displaced from their previous location. Language barriers, discrimination, and a lack of documentation can all be massive barriers to employment for immigrants and refugees. How do migrants and refugees navigate these barriers, and how do their choices affect their assimilation into local culture?

The options available to displaced workers are likely not always well documented, especially, for obvious reasons, those options which are exercised outside of the 'usual' or legal employment systems of the country. Additionally, programs and options provided by the government may be documented only in terms of the basic steps needed to apply to them, and finding actual information about the realities and the effectiveness of these programs on an individual level may be difficult.

The project will ideally draw from interviews and potentially a larger survey (discussed below) to determine the realities and issues people in these situations face.  This is intended to result in a blend between quantitative data and personal accounts which may or may not reinforce each other.  By combining and comparing these two sources of information, I believe I will end up with a somewhat more complete picture than I would if I were to focus entire on one.

Clearly, any advancement in the understanding of these topics would be beneficial both in a policy forming sense, and in the sense of informing ourselves about the nature of struggles we may never be required to deal with ourselves, but which affect many people in many parts of the world. The need to sustain oneself and one’s family/community are universal, and within a capitalist society this equates to a need to obtain wealth, and any insight into the ways that need is met both inside and outside the accepted system can only be beneficial to the theories of migration, economics, and politics.

To me, this topic is personally interesting because I am the type of person always looking for new and different ways of generating income, even when working a full time job. I have bought and sold used cars and antiques, taught music lessons, repaired cars and computers, and taken online side jobs. Some of these were possible to do without documentation and some were not. Some were ones where my English skills were the main reason I was able to do them. Most, if not all, were situations where my privileged status as a white, male, citizen were of great benefit. What particularly interests me is the potential to see patterns of choice in which ventures are chosen by people in different language, documentation, and discriminatory situations. How are people able to utilize or adapt the skills they used before migrating?  In what way are the options available discovered and considered? How do the long-time occupants of the area view the choices available to migrants and refugees?

Although I’ve mentioned my own history with secondary income sources, they have always been exactly that in my case: secondary. For many we will be working among, these options are likely not pursued for the sake of additional income, but as their sole source of income. It’s important to remember my own place of privilege in my ability to pick and choose in what form of labor to spend my time and when to cease spending my time on it. As an American in the United States, my employment prospects are extremely positive compared to most others, especially people who have been displaced.

This will be especially important considering that my methods of research will include interviews with people who have migrated. These interviews will give me a small look into the current situation in Berlin specifically. In addition, I will be conducting research online and by book in order to better understand the history surrounding these issues. These two tools will provide some understanding of the past and present of the economic factors of migration, and will be used to form a short part of my research outlining some potential futures of these issues, in the context of current political and economic trends.

If it's possible to obtain a large enough sample size, I would be interested in conducting some kind of survey on the situations and opinions of people currently trying to find work in Berlin (both migrants and long-time citizens) and compare them to similar data (or even the conduct the same survey) here in Washington.  From there, it might be interesting to compare them to the economic data for each area and see if it lines up with the realities respondents are facing.  This is a secondary goal, but one that still ties in to the goals of the project.

If I do conduct a survey, I will need to figure out (once I'm there) what the best method of collection will be.  Without having been to Berlin before, it's hard to guess what methods would be best, and so that is something I will be considering heavily in my first week there before the placements begin.

I'm not yet sure what specific resources I will want to use for this project, and likely I won't know until I begin working on the first steps of it.  Of course I will be using references on basic economic theory, migration, and statistical methods, but beyond those basics I have not yet thought of anything more specific to draw from.  However, I will be bringing my Kindle loaded with various books and textbooks, and will be setting aside time every day to read and explore the texts for inspiration.

It will be important throughout this project for me to stick to a daily schedule that allows me time to work, read, write, and stew on ideas. Depending somewhat on the hours required by my community placement, I intend to wake up early and go for a walk or run each morning before 8am. I always come up with my best ideas while driving, and without a car this is as close as I feel I can get to simulating that. Moreover, I know that if I don't get an early start I won't be as productive, and writing that down here will help me to remember that when I'm there.   The mid-morning will likely be used to journal the previous day after considering it's events during the walk.  After logging the events of the previous day, I may use the next block of time to read, specifically with the context of the day's events in mind.  After that, more formal research writing and work, depending on time constraints.