LibGuides: The role of integration of immigrants in the economic recovery: Regional dimension

Academic articles

Making regional citizens? The political drivers and effects of subnational immigrant integration policies in Europe and North America
This special issue provides the first internationally comparative analysis of regional immigrant integration policies. The introduction defines socioeconomic, cultural–religious and legal–political domains of integration, expecting regions to be most active policy-makers in the first. Regional politics drives policy orientations: leftist regions develop more inclusive policies than their right-wing counterparts, and Rokkan regions with strong regionalist parties adopt more assimilationist policies than ordinary regions. Through policy feedback, regional policies also influence immigrants’ political integration, shaping their prospects of becoming ‘regional citizens’. Six empirical contributions assess these arguments for five federations (Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, United States and Canada) and two quasi-federal systems (Italy and Spain).
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Regional Studies, Vol. 54, 2020 - Issue 11
A geographical path to integration? Exploring the interplay between regional context and labour market integration among refugees in Sweden
This study assess how regional and neighbourhood contexts influence refugees’ entry into employment. The results reveal a clear pattern where the most advantageous regions for finding a first employment are those at the extremes of the population density distribution: the Stockholm region and small city/rural regions. In addition, the study reiterates existing concerns regarding the negative effects of ethnic segregation at the neighbourhood level on labour market participation.
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Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Volume 46, 2020 - Issue 1
Immigrant integration regimes in Europe: Incorporating the Western Balkan countries
This article discusses immigrant integration policies in Europe. The authors analyzed data from the 2015 Migration Integration Policy Index to identify similar immigrant integration regimes in Europe according to policy priorities related to immigrants' socioeconomic rights. The results of a latent class analysis demonstrated that there are two immigrant integration policy regimes among the EU 28, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia, with variation between the old EU member states since 1995 (without Greece) and Estonia versus the new EU member states since 2004 (without Estonia), Greece, and the Western Balkan countries. Based on this classification, the authors conclude that there is a trend of convergence in integration policy regimes in Europe, in which the effects of spatial/geographical and temporal dimensions are manifested.
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Acta Geographica Slovenica. 2020, Vol. 60 Issue 1, pp. 144-153.
Immigration and Integration Policy and Labour Market Attainment Among Immigrants to Scandinavia
Insufficient integration of immigrants into the labour market has been identified as a major problem in the Scandinavian countries Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Integration depends, inter alia, on immigration and integration policy, and for most of the post-war period the policies of the three countries displayed strong similarities. However, in the early 2000s Denmark increasingly deviated from its two neighbours, introducing more restrictive immigration and stricter integration policies. Comparing both pre- and post-reform immigrants across Scandinavia, we assess the wider impact of this comprehensive policy reversal by tracking the evolution of employment and earnings gaps between 1993 and 2006.
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European Journal of Population, volume 35, pp. 305–328 (2019)
Revitalizing the Indigenous, integrating into the colonized? The banal colonialism of immigrant integration in Swedish Sápmi
In an endeavour to understand connections between immigration policy and contemporary colonialism on Indigenous territory, this study investigates how state-led immigrant integration policies and practices reproduce colonialism in Swedish Sápmi. It explores the applicability of scholarship on settler colonialism on Sweden and develops the notion of banal colonialism by combining scholarship on settler and everyday colonialism with banal nationalism. Drawing from state documents regulating immigrant integration and semi-structured interviews conducted with integration workers in Swedish Sápmi, the study shows that immigrant integration policy largely silences the colonial past and present of Sweden.
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Ethnic and racial studies, 2020-12-10, Vol.43 (16), pp. 268-286
Immigrant integration policy and practices in Poland
The aim of the article is to discuss the impact of immigration on policymaking at the national level with emphasis on the legal status of immigrants and integration policy issues. Furthermore, the paper aims to initiate scientific discussion on migration integration policy and a complex system of migration policy and management.
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SECURITY AND DEFENCE QUARTERLY (2019-06-01), Vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 3-14
Developing immigrant integration policy in the Irish public sector: An international human rights and public sector duty approach
This paper outlines a new approach to the development of immigrant integration policy in Ireland that is informed by an international human rights and public sector duty perspective. Based on a comprehensive review, the paper outlines the current state of immigrant integration policies in the Irish public sector, highlighting the limited awareness of this issue among public bodies. It also provides practical guidance for public bodies wishing to develop more effective immigrant integration policies, drawing from international human rights treaties and from examples of policy development in Ireland.
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ADMINISTRATION (2019-12-01), Vol. 67, no. 4, pp. 27-45
The Role of Cities in the Integration of Immigrants in Europe
In the era of migration, cities play an important role in integrating immigrants and promoting social cohesion. Sometimes they create and implement integration policies different from these at a national level. The state-run civic integration programs question the thesis of the growing role of cities as these programs have resulted in centralizing integration policies and reducing their role. In recent years, large European cities have been implementing a cultural diversity management model referred to as “intercultural integration”. They have also adopted mainstream policies targeted at the entire population.
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STUDIA EUROPEJSKIE (2020-10-01), Vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 165-181

The Spatial Integration of Immigrants in Europe: A Cross‑National Study
This paper provides evidence of uneven patterns of immigrant population distribution and residential integration, both within and between countries of the European Union. The analysis focuses on the spatial concentration of the foreign-born population in 27 countries and 1396 sub-regional areal units (called NUTS3), which in turn are nested within larger economic and cultural regions (i.e., NUTS2). Estimates of new forms of multiscale segregation (i.e., using the index of dissimilarity) are calculated from data drawn from Eurostat and a variety of other sources.

Books, EU publications, reports, websites, etc.

Politics of (Dis)Integration (2020)
This book explores how contemporary integration policies and practices are not just about migrants and minority groups becoming part of society but often also reflect deliberate attempts to undermine their inclusion or participation. This affects individual lives as well as social cohesion. The book highlights the variety of ways in which integration and disintegration are related to, and often depend on each other. By analysing how (dis)integration works within a wide range of legal and institutional settings, this book contributes to the literature on integration by considering (dis)integration as a highly stratified process. Through featuring a fertile combination of comparative policy analyses and ethnographic research based on original material from six European and two non-European countries.
Coming to Terms with Superdiversity: The Case of Rotterdam (2019)
This book discusses Rotterdam as clear example of a superdiverse city that is only reluctantly coming to terms with this new reality. Rotterdam, as is true for many post-industrial cities, has seen a considerable backlash against migration and diversity: the populist party Leefbaar Rotterdam of the late Pim Fortuyn is already for many years the largest party in the city. At the same time Rotterdam has become a majority minority city where the people of Dutch descent have become a numerical minority themselves. The book explores how Rotterdam is coming to terms with superdiversity, by an analysis of its migration history of the city, the composition of the migrant population and the Dutch working class population, local politics and by a comparison with Amsterdam and other cities. As such it contributes to a better understanding not just of how and why super-diverse cities emerge but also how and why the reaction to a super-diverse reality can be so different.

Report on the local integration of immigrants
The report, a joint initiative of the European Commission and the OECD, is part of a broader effort to support the social and economic inclusion of migrants in EU societies. 9 large European cities (Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Glasgow, Gothenburg, Paris, Rome and Vienna) and the smaller German town of Altena were studied to assess how they met this objective ‒ what was done, what worked and what could have been done better.
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EC and OECD report (2018)
Eurocities: migration and integration
Cities have long been attractive destinations for migrants and international migrants have become a common feature of European cities today. The arrivals of migrants and refugees in Europe will continue to increase diversity in our cities. As frontline managers of social cohesion, cities have a big task on their hands to promote the positive values of diversity and mitigate the risk of social polarisation and segregation.
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Eurocities website
Migrant integration statistics - regional labour market indicators

News items

Coronavirus: Portugal grants temporary citizenship rights to migrants
The Portuguese government is granting citizenship rights to all migrants and asylum seekers who have residency applications underway. The move is intended to ensure everybody who needs it has access to social security and health care while the country battles the spread and effects of coronavirus.
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Euronews - 29/03/2020
Commission issues guidelines on ‘integration’ to clear way for EU migration pact
The European Commission on Tuesday (24 November) issued a new set of guidelines, calling on EU member states to do a better job of integrating migrants into European societies.
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Euractiv - 25/11/2020
One in two Germans against increased migration, study says
A growing number of Germans believe migrants drive wages down and burden the welfare system, according to a study analysing the attitude of Germans towards foreigners before and after the 2015 refugee crisis.
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Euractiv - 30/08/2019
Cohesion money ‘won’t buy our consent,’ Greek islands governor says
EU cohesion policy funds to support social and professional integration of migrants and refugees will not solve the problems faced by Greek islands hosting camps, the governor of the region told EURACTIV.
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EURACTIV - 28/01/2021