Albert Kraler

Mag. Dr. Albert Kraler

Assistant Professor - Department for Migration and Globalisation - Center for Migration and Globalisation Research

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Functions

Albert Kraler is Assistant Professor in Migration Studies.
In addition, he is:

  • Co-Director of the Centre for Migration and Globalisation Research and member of the Department’s Management Team,
  • Programme Manager of the PhD Programme in Migration Studies,
  • Member of the IMISCOE Board of Directors, the steering board of Europe’s largest migration research  network, and member of the networks External Affairs and Editorial Committees. 
  • Teaching migration theory and politics and other courses in the PhD and Master courses.
  • Associate lecturer at the University of Vienna and Technical University Vienna

About the person

Before joining the Department for Migration and Globalization at Danube University Krems in Fall 2018, Albert was a senior researcher at the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in Vienna, which he first joined in 2001 and where he was involved in and led numerous research projects and between 2011 and 2015, led ICMPD’s research unit.  He also held positions at the Sussex Centre for Migration Research and the Department for Political Science at the University of Vienna. Albert has a PhD in Political Science from the University of Vienna and a joint degree in Political Science and African Studies from the same university.

Albert’s current research focuses includes

  • governance of migration and asylum from a multilevel perspective  
  • migration policy making and policy impacts
  • migrant integration and social cohesion
  • forced displacement
  • irregular migration and regularisation policy

View his profiles at ORCID, ResearchGate, Migration Research Hub.

Projects (Extract Research Database)

Running projects

Estimating irregular migrants from social media data

Duration: 23/09/2025–19/04/2026
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: Sonstige

Seed funding from Lower Austria for the REGROW project

Duration: 01/06/2025–16/09/2025
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: Bundesländer (inkl. deren Stiftungen und Einrichtungen)

Refugee protection or cherry picking? Assessing new admissionpolicies for refugees in Europe

Duration: 01/03/2023–31/12/2026
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: sonstige öffentlich-rechtliche Einrichtungen (Körperschaften, Stiftungen, Fonds)

Measuring Irregular Migration and Related Policies

Duration: 01/10/2022–30/09/2025
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU

Completed projects

Exploring the Integration of Post-2014 Migrants in Small and Medium-sized Towns and Rural Areas from a Whole of Community Perspective

Duration: 01/01/2021–31/03/2024
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU

Sustainable Practices of Integration (SPRING)

Duration: 01/03/2021–28/02/2023
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU

Smart Migration and Asylum Governance (SMAG)

Duration: 01/09/2020–31/12/2022
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Mathias Czaika
Funding: Bund (Ministerien)

TRAFIG - Translocal Figurations of Displacement

Duration: 01/01/2019–30/06/2022
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU
Program: H2020

Anbahnungsfinanzierung Land NÖ: Measuring Irregular Migration and Related Policies

Duration: 15/07/2021–07/10/2021
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: Bundesländer (inkl. deren Stiftungen und Einrichtungen)

Legal and policy challenges and responses to environmentally induced migration

Duration: 26/02/2020–10/09/2020
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU

Complementary Pathways for Adult Refugees: the Role of VET, Skills and Qualifications

Duration: 15/10/2018–03/06/2020
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Albert Kraler
Funding: EU
Program: CEDEFOP

Cross Migration

Duration: 01/03/2018–29/02/2020
Principle investigator for the project (University for Continuing Education Krems): Mathias Czaika
Funding: EU
Program: Horizon 2020

Publications (Extract Research Database)

Kraler, A.; Vankova, Z. (2025). Active refugee admission policies. Towards conceptual clarity? Refugee Survey quarterly, 44(4): https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdaf018

Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A.; Legarda Díaz-Aguado, I., Levoy, M. (2025). Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes. University of Krems Press, Krems

Kierans, D.; Kraler; A.(eds.) (2025). Handbook on Irregular Migration Data. Concepts, Methods and Practices. University of Krems Press, Krems

Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A. (2025). Overview of regularisation types – policy diversity and implications for migrant inclusion. In: Ahrens, J., Kraler, A., Legarda, I., Levoy, M., Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes. University of Krems Press: 32-37, University of Krems Press, Krems

Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A. (2025). Regularisation as a policy tool: defining scope, purpose and limits. In: Ahrens, J., Kraler, A., Legarda, I., Levoy, M., Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes. University of Krems Press. 23-31, University of Krems Press, Krems

Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A. (2025). Migrants in an irregular situation and regularisation – a longstanding debate. In: Ahrens, J., Kraler, A., Legarda, I., Levoy, M, Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes: 16-22, University of Krems Press, Krems

Hendow, M.; Kraler, A.; Bilger, V.; Hofmann, M. (2025). Navigating policy options: addressing the presence of long-term irregular migrant populations. In: Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A.; Legarda, I.; Levoy, M., Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes. 60-73, University of Krems Press, Krems

Kierans, D.; Kraler, A. (2025). Introduction – Making the case for better data on irregular migration. In: Kierans, D.; Kraler, A., Handbook on Irregular Migration Data. Concepts, Methods and Practices. 17-22, University of Krems Press, Krems

Kierans, D.; Kraler, A. (2025). Progress, limits, and the need for sustained effort. In: Kierans, D.; Kraler, A., Handbook on Irregular Migration Data – Concepts, Methods and Practices: 129-135, University of Krems Press, Krems

Kraler, A. (2025). Effects of regularisation. In: Ahrens, J.; Kraler, A.; Legarda, I.; Levoy, M., Handbook on Regularisation Policies: Practices, Debates and Outcomes. University of Krems Press. 52-59, University of Krems Press, Krems

Kraler, A.; Bircan, T.; Singleton, A. (2025). What is irregular migration? In: Kierans, D.; Kraler A., Handbook on Irregular Migration Data. Concepts, Methods and Practices: 23-40, University of Krems Press, Krems

Vargas-Silva, C.; Leerkes, A.; Kierans, D.; Siruno, L.; Kraler, A. (2025). Tools for collecting information on irregular migration estimates and indicators. Open Res Europe, 5:176: https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.20695.1, European Commission, DG RTD

Weisner, Z.; Vidal, P.; Kraler, A.; Czaika, M. (2024). Trust in Transit: External Migration Control and Migrants’ Perceptions of Humanitarian Borderwork in the Sahel. International Migration Review, 0: 0

Sievers, W.; Bauböck, R.; Czaika, M.; Kraler, A. (Hrsg.) (2024). Drawing Boundaries and Crossing Borders: Migration in Theorie und Praxis. Verlag Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Wien

Kraler, A. (2024). Policy-relevant migration research: how to create impact. In: Zapata, R. & Vintila, D., How to Do Migration Research. 188-196, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK

Czaika, M.; Gu, J.; Kraler, A.; Rössl, L. (2024). Migration responses to (non-)enforcement. Rotterdam, NL

Hendow, M.; Wagner, M.; Ahrens, J.; Chert, M.; Kierans, D.; Kraler, A.; Leekers, A.; Leon, L.; Rodrígues Sánches, A.; Siruno, L.; Tjaden, J.; Vargas-Silva, C. (2024). How fit is the available data on irregular migration for policymaking? MIrreM Policy Brief No.3, Zenodo

Skrivanek, I.; Kraler, A. (2024). Exploring the Integration of Post-2014 Migrants in Small and Medium-Sized Towns and Rural Areas from a Whole of Community Perspective. Country-specific policy recommendations. Austria. online

Rössl, L., Schütze, T., Kraler, A. (2023). Austria. In: Hendow, M; Qaisrani, A; Brunovska, Compilation of 15 Country Briefs on Irregular Migration Policy Context: 10-24, University for Continuing Education Krems, Krems

Faustmann, A.; Kraler, A. (2023). “Places change and so do we” – how intergroup encounter can help create empathy. Collegio Carlo Alberto, Whole-Comm Blogs, Collegio Carlo Alberto, Turino

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Lectures (Extract Research Database)

Irregular migration: What we (can) know and how this knowledge can inform policymaking

MIMAP Closing Conference Irregularly staying Migrants: Empirical Findings and Methodological Advances, 20/05/2025

Insights from MIrreM

Roundtable - Bridging Research and Policy. Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe Shaping Migration Policy, 14/12/2023

Concepts and estimates of irregular migration

New perspectives on irregular migration. Joint webinar of Horizon projects on irregular migration., 18/10/2023

Tabuthema Irreguläre Migration: Antworten jenseits von Rückführung und Abschottung

Podiumsdiskussion, Österr. Akademie d. Wissenschaften, 20/09/2023

Das MIRREM-Projekt & vorläufige Projektergebnisse

MIrreM Data Workshop. "Unsichtbar weil irregulär?” : Indikatoren und Schätzungen der irregulären Migrantenbevölkerung in Österreich, 20/09/2023

Measuring irregular migration and related policies

Irregular Migration in Europe: Data Challenges and Priorities for Informed Decision-Making. MIrreM Stakeholder Workshop, 12/09/2023

The use of data on irregular migration in policy making

ECPR General Conference, 05/09/2023

“Enhancing EU migration governance”? Reflections on the research-policy nexus in the context of Horizon Europe-funded research on irregular migration. Roundtable

20th Annual IMISCOE Conference, 05/07/2023

Conceptualising migrant irregularity for measurement purposes

20th IMISCOE Annual Conference, 03/07/2023

Irreguläre Migration: Politische und praktische Herausforderungen, Maßnahmen & Auswirkungen

MIrreM Policy Workshop, 12/06/2023

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