The first outputs of the project are public now!
After the very intense work of the past months, we are happy to share with you the first findings and outputs of the project! We have published 20 Country Reports, reflecting the richness of the Whole-COMM fieldwork research and analysing the data collected across 49 localities in 8 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden) and 2 extra-EU countries (Turkey and Canada) on immigrant integration policies, multi-level governance dynamics, and migrants’ access to public services. These Country Reports primarily target the scientific community. Two comparative papers and two policy briefs drafting recommendations for EU and local policymakers and other stakeholders are coming soon!
Country Reports on Multilevel Dynamics
These reports look at multilevel governance dynamics and at the integration policies targeting post-2014 migrants developed in small and medium-sized towns and rural areas. Primarily based on interviews conducted in each of the selected municipalities, the reports provide an overview of:
1) national, regional, and local integration policies targeting migrants;
2) policymaking relations among the key actors involved in these policy processes in the selected localities and key features of policy networks within which these actors interact;
3) how these actors perceive and define integration.
Country Reports on Access to services
These reports examine post-2014 migrants’ access to housing, employment, and other relevant resources in different small and medium-sized towns and rural areas in in 8 EU countries (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and Sweden) and 2 extra-EU countries (Turkey and Canada). The reports provide an overview of:
1) the concrete barriers that post-2014 migrants are facing in relation to housing and employment;
2) the local actors who are involved in, and/or seen as responsible for, facilitating their access;
3) any concrete local measures or practices that help or hinder this access;
4) the specific target groups of these measures, initiatives or practices.
What is coming next?
In the upcoming months, 9 more country reports will be published on our website, focusing on immigrants’ experiences of integration, social interactions and reciprocal attitudes of migrants and locals in our 49 communities. The country reports will be the base on which we will develop comparative studies and policy briefs. We are also going to engage in a quasi-experimental research to explore, in a selected group of localities, concrete policy actions that can strengthen mutual knowledge and positive interethnic relations. This grassroots work will be complemented with stakeholders’ involvement in multilevel and international policy dialogue to critically assess and discuss the Whole-COMM research results in an interactive manner, with the specific aim of sharing strategies that strengthen community cohesion and resilience.
