Researchers from Whole-COMM will join the 21st IMISCOE’S Annual Conference, taking place in Lisbon and online. On July 5th, Whole-COMM researchers will delve into the lessons learned from recent experiences in immigrant integration in smaller communities and explore effective responses to these challenges.
Organized by Tiziana Caponio (FIERI, Collegio Carlo Alberto, and University of Turin) and Andrea Pettrachin (University of Turin, Collegio Carlo Alberto, and FIERI), the workshop brings together scholars from various EU and non-EU countries.
Workshop: Small localities (again) at the forefront of refugee reception and integration: what can we learn from recent experiences in the EU?
July 5, 2024, 09:00 – 10:30 GMT+1
Session #279
SC Migration Politics and Governance
The EU continues to receive a large number of migrants and asylum seekers in 2023, following the substantial flow of Ukrainian refugees in 2022. National governments are once again dividing asylum seekers among numerous reception centers, many of which are located in small and medium-sized towns and rural areas. These communities are now at the forefront of managing the most recent wave of newcomers.
Previously disregarded in literature and policy discussions, small and medium sized towns and rural areas play a crucial role in the outcome of migrant integration in Europe. This session will discuss what can be learnt from recent experiences in local areas, how to design effective, unified solutions, and what elements lead to successful integration.
The discussions will center on the drivers of local integration policymaking, the role of local politics, the impact of local actors’ understanding of ‘integration,’ the isolation of small places from government frameworks, and how to address this. Furthermore, the workshop will investigate strategies that local governments can take to create cohesive and resilient communities.
Participants include Basak Yavcan (Migration Policy Group), Michael Jones-Correa (University of Pennsylvania), Birgit Glorius (TU Chemnitz), Willem Maas (York University), Sinem Yilmaz (Migration Policy Group), Maria Schiller (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Elina Grazia Jonitz (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Irene Ponzo (FIERI), and Abigail Fisher Williamson (Trinity College).
