CONNECTED BY PEOPLE: 65 YEARS OF TURKISH MIGRATION TO GERMANY

Introduction

In 1961, a train journey from Istanbul to Germany could take up to three days. After this journey, Turkish workers arriving at Munich train station were led into a former air raid bunker beneath Platform 11. There, the Federal Labor Office had established a reception and forwarding office, where the new arrivals were welcomed, given a meal, and could rest briefly. Each worker received a contract and a number, and long lists decided where each would go next.¹ What the lists could not record, however, was everything else that these workers would bring with them.

Conclusion

If knowledge is dispersed, no central ministry can plan which connections will prove valuable. Policymakers should therefore focus on institutions that lower the cost of exchange. This means making qualifications easier to recognize, helping firms assess applicants based on what they can actually do rather than on their names, and reducing the administrative uncertainty surrounding international recruitment. It also means making it easier for people, goods, services, and capital to cross the border in both directions. Both governments have already lowered some barriers. Since June 2024, Germany has generally allowed dual citizenship, and Türkiye’s Blue Card lets former Turkish citizens keep most of the rights of citizens, including the right to work without a permit. Instruments like these make it easier for people to move.