Integration Policies of European Cities in Comparative Perspective: Structural Convergence and Substantial Differentiation

Abstract

godina 32, kolovoz 2016, broj 2: 155-189 155 0 5 25 75 95 100 logo -prijedlog 13. SUMMARYThis article aims to review the comparative study of integration policies of European cities. The first two sections present an analytical framework for the study of immigrants' integration processes and the policies that intend to steer such processes. The third section outlines how local integration policies have developed in relation to national policies and EU integration policies, particularly after 2003. The fourth and main section analyses the framing and content of integration policies of European cities, looking at their diversity in the legal/political dimension, the socio-economic dimension -including the domains of work, housing, education and health -and the cultural, religious and ethnic dimension. It is concluded that there is a structural convergence, in the sense that in the complex structure of multilevel governance of migration and integration, cities do take a similar position, developing horizontal relations of cooperation and exchange. Cities that develop explicit integration policies tend to do this from a more inclusive and pragmatic framing than national and EUpolicies. At the same time, there is great variation in what cities actually do: in the legal/political and in the cultural/religious dimensions, framing, intentions and measures do vary greatly; in the socio-economic dimension this variation is less when it comes to the domains of activity, but more in the intensity of policy intervention.

Pensando la inmigración desde las instituciones de la ciudad

“…Por ello, en las últimas décadas, la importancia del ámbito local en los procesos migratorios inspira a muchos estudios y se desarrollan distintas líneas de investigación interesadas en analizar las dinámicas y las consecuencias de las interconexiones verticales propias de un gobierno multinivel, con las autoridades de la UE, nacionales, regionales y locales (Dekker, Emilsson y Krieger, 2015;Jørgensen, 2012;Penninx y Garcés-Mascareñas, 2016;Scholten y Penninx, 2016). Una visión global de estos trabajos revela un esfuerzo por elaborar hipótesis y enunciados teóricos a partir de varios registros de prácticas y experiencias locales de la relación jurídica, administrativa y política entre el Estado y la ciudad.…”

Enhanced local-level willingness and ability to settle refugees: Decentralization and local responses to the refugee crisis in Norway

“…Integration of immigrants takes place at the local level, although the local level interacts with regional, national and supranational levels in governance of migration (Caponio & Borkert, 2010;Penninx & Garcés-Mascareñas, 2016;Schiller, 2015). This was also the case in Norway during and after the 2015 refugee crisis.…”

“…The sudden mass influx of almost 2.5 million first-time asylum-seekers in 2015 emplaced major stresses on refugee reception systems throughout Europe. Whereas national governments were mainly concerned with general principles for restricting immigration (Brekke, Røed, & Schøne, 2016), local governments were more pragmatically oriented, faced with everyday challenges like finding accommodation for the newcomers (Penninx & Garcés-Mascareñas, 2016). Cities and municipalities are increasingly recognized for their role in devising and implementing their own integration and diversity policies (Caponio & Borkert, 2010;Qadeer, 2016;Zapata-Barrero, 2015).…”

Actors’ logics concerning municipal integration policies for refugees in North Rhine-Westphalian cities and small towns

“…Im Verhältnis dieser verschiedenen politischen Ebenen wird in der internationalen Migrations-und Integrationsforschung heute ein sogenannter local turn beschrieben, das heißt, dass die kommunale Ebene eine größere Bedeutung als Handelnder (Akteur) in der Integrationspolitik erlangt hat (Penninx/Garcés-Mascareñas 2016;vgl. aber Emilsson 2015).…”