City Networks and the Multilevel Governance of Migration. Policy Discourses and Actions

Abstract

Existing literature on City Networks (CNs), including studies on the migration and diversity policy field, look at CNs as instances of Multilevel Governance (MLG) policy-making. Yet, systematic research on the link between CNs and MLG is still scarce. The goal of this working paper is to understand how CNs on migration in different contexts conceive and frame their role in the governance of migration. What type of vertical and horizontal relations are CNs engaged in? And to what extent do these relationships configure the emergence of MLG-like policymaking processes? To answer these research questions, I undertake a policy frames analysis of the official discourses and main policy actions promoted by four CNs in different multilevel political settings, i.e.: the Eurocities Working Group on Migration and Integration, the European Coalition of Cities Against Racism (ECCAR) and the Intercultural Cities Programme (ICC) in Europe; Welcoming America in the United States. A key finding is that MLG, far from being an automatic outcome of city networking, is only one possible frame of policymaking interactions and not even the more relevant one.

Expanding the boundaries of the local: entrepreneurial municipalism and migration governance in Turkey

“…Entrepreneurial forms of municipalism have emerged as a response to more passive or reactive forms of municipalism that have dominated local government action in the area of migration governance. The role of local governments as prominent actors dealing with challenges related to mixed migration flows became evident in the complex migration context emerging in the 2015–2016 Mediterranean “migration crisis” (Caponio 2019; Caponio and Jones-Correa 2018; Geuijen et al 2020; Zapata-Barrero et al 2017). The difficulties in “partnership-based models of multilevel governance” among national and European actors in the midst of dissonance over the content of the challenge and the possible policy solutions were exposed during this episode (Geuijen et al 2020, 245–246).…”

“…By employing entrepreneurial strategies, municipalities move away from confrontational politics and “ideological sclerosis of the national debates” (Caponio 2019, 10) toward day-to-day practices aimed at solving local problems with a pragmatic approach (Oomen and Leenders 2020). Entrepreneurial municipalism suggests a shift toward individual agency exercised by municipal civil servants who either improvise or use discretion to solve everyday problems encountered within local forced migration contexts.…”

Practicing Social Cohesion in the Dark: Diverse Processes and Missing Indicators in Forced Migration Contexts

“…While the legal and institutional framework for social cohesion processes are shaped at the national level, social cohesion practices constitute local affairs. Based on this premise, this study elaborates on the "local turn" in migration studies which emphasizes a need to shift the focus of the analysis toward the interaction among local actors and contexts (Caponia and Jones-Correa, 2017;Zapata-Barrero et al, 2017;Caponio, 2019;Geuijen et al, 2020).…”

Perceptions of Migration and Diversity by Local Public Administrators

“…The local city reaction results from many factors and processes that shape the local governance of migration and diversity, among others city identity, histories of migration, local politics, political participation and policies (Caponio et al, ). The multilevel governance of migration and diversity includes both horizontal co‐operation between cities and vertical co‐operation between supranational, national, regional and local scales (Caponio, ). Therefore, it is essential to ensure the preparedness of public administrators working at the multi‐level authority structures which includes the timely identification of their attitudes towards migration and diversity.…”