Group Integration

Abstract

Integration is an increasingly important concept. Today, as Western countries bid to mitigate the consequences of low birth rates using immigration, the integration of these newcomers is an increasingly pertinent policy area for shaping future society. Declined birth rates make integration policy even more important for the so-called traditional countries of immigration, such as Australia, Canada, and the United States. Immigration was almost always important for all of these countries, because it would fulfil the role of complementing population growth brought about by natural fecundity. In stark contrast, today, fertility rates are insufficient even to replace the current population (Australia, 2011; Canada, 2011a; Joyce et al., 2011), so the role of immigration is now twofold — to sustain the present population and to ensure population growth. So, the incorporation of these immigrants into their new societies has a larger impact on social composition than before.