Multilevel governance in trouble: the implementation of asylum seekers’ reception in Italy as a battleground

Abstract

The reception of asylum seekers in Italy has become an increasingly contentious issue: many actors, public and private, are involved at various levels of government, and cooperative behaviour cannot be taken for granted. The multi-level governance approach sheds light on the possible patterns in vertical relations, while it does not effectively explore the horizontal relations, which are however crucial, especially at the local level. Moreover, we argue that the definition of multilevel governance as negotiated order among public and non-public actors is too rigid and normative. Local policies of reception are instead a playing field where different actors come together with different interests, values and frames. This paper discusses the implementation of asylum seekers' reception in Italy, looking at both the multilevel and the horizontal dynamics, and it uses the concept of 'battleground' in order better to grasp the complexities of the interaction between actors. The article discloses conflicting and competing frames between different tiers of governance, since municipalities try to resist government imposition related to asylum seekers' reception in their areas. As for the horizontal dynamics, this paper argues that four possible patterns emerge in the relation between state and state actors: a) closure vs. civil society activism; b) tolerance; c) institutional activism vs. anti-immigrant mobilizations; d) cooperation. Overall, the paper aims at addressing the limits of the MLG approach by means of a conceptual tool (the "battleground") which yields a more vivid understanding of implementation dynamics.

Innovative strategies for the reception of asylum seekers and refugees in European cities: multi-level governance, multi-sector urban networks and local engagement

“…This deterioration in standards is evident across a range of European countries. Italy's former populist government led by League and the Five Star Movement in 2018 installed a more restrictive system of asylum seeker reception, delivering emergency reception of just 'bed and bread', and removing funding for other services such as legal help and language courses (Campomori and Ambrosini 2020). In the UK, the outsourcing of asylum to centralized private providers has worsened conditions of reception and limited local authority control further (Darling 2016).…”

“…Indeed, evidence points to widespread convergence in reception approaches across European cities, reflecting local governments' limited role in decisionmaking as relevant policies are shaped at the national and supranational level (Kreichauf 2018; Glorius and Doomernik 2020). Some evidence even suggests that national governments are also aiming to regain power over local integration policies and exert greater control and influence at the local level (Campomori and Ambrosini 2020;Emilsson 2015). However, the case studies point to an important counter-trend where local actors assume the role of innovators and policy entrepreneurs, sometimes developing policies completely apart from national policy, a process described as 'decoupling' (Scholten and Penninx 2016).…”

The Urban Governance of Asylum as a “Battleground”: Policies of Exclusion and Efforts of Inclusion in Italian Towns

“…The new national policy reflects also what has happened at the local level from 2014 to 2017. We can distinguish different configurations of relations between national and local powers, and of public and non-public actors (Campomori and Ambrosini, 2020). Among them of particular importance is the opposition against the establishment of facilities for the reception of asylum seekers by local authorities.…”

“…Sometimes, activism by welcoming local authorities has had to face the opposition of antiimmigrant actors, especially right-wing parties, with the League at the forefront, and far right movements. Of special interest for this article, however, is the case in which local policies of exclusion are contested by active civil societies (Campomori and Ambrosini, 2020). But a crucial activity is the delivery of services.…”

Tackling TB in migrants arriving at Europe’s southern border

“…Case-finding is performed regardless of the vaccination status of the individual, which is usually unknown. Furthermore, nationwide data on TB in asylum seekers is limited mostly because of the health system that is fragmented on a regional level and due to the different approaches regarding TB testing/notification that are adopted by each region and-or healthcare facility (Campomori and Ambrosini, 2020). Active case finding for TB is a key element of the World Health Organization (WHO), European, and Italian general recommendations to tackle down TB (World Health Organization, 2013).…”