McGill Journal of Political Studies 2014 April, 2014 | Page 34

highly restrictive naturalization policies,
as no effort was made to make them more
inclusive until the early 2000s. Despite the
changes, Germany still remains one of the
most closed systems in Europe. In early
2013, the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD)
found the German immigration system was
“perceived both internally and externally to
be highly restrictive and difficult to access5.”
While detrimental to the labour market,
this has also had severe consequences in the
social and political realms. Since foreigners
were not integrated politically, there has
been no framework upon which to demand
inclusion in other social or cultural realms.
Even after having lived in Germany for
most of their lives, many immigrants still
feel isolated and do not have the right to
take part in political decision-making HۙB