The Politics of Local Integration Governance
How political factors shape interactions between local governments and non-public actors on refugee integration in European small towns
Andrea Pettrachin (University of Turin) & Giacomo Solano (Radboud University)
Refugee integration in small localities poses complex challenges that must be faced through cooperation between local governments and non-public and private actors. This article investigates how frequent and how collaborative/conflictual these relations are. It asks if and how these relations are influenced by political dynamics (e.g., party control of local executives and the local strength of radical right parties). It does so through a mixed-methods study that focuses on 36 small western European localities.
What do we know about horizontal governance relations at the local level? In general, local experiences exhibit two contrasting trends. On the one hand, there is a certain degree of local pragmatism by local governments in developing such relations, as non-public and private actors are key partners in the implementation of integration programs and the delivery of local social services. On the other hand, refugee integration has transformed small localities into battlegrounds with conflicts between pro-migrant non-public actors and local governments.
Based on interviews with representatives from civil society organisations and the private sector, as well as local policymakers, this study shows that such interactions tend to be infrequent. This is common to all localities and type of actors. However, the frequency of interactions between local executives and private actors (e.g., private companies or employers’ associations) varies significantly based on the political affiliation of the local executives. Specifically, interactions are more common in localities with progressive local executives compared to conservative ones.
This depends on progressive policymakers’ proactive approach to public-private partnerships. For example, a top-level local administrator from an Austrian locality who developed several collaborations on refugee integration with the private sector admitted that her office was created by the centre-left party in government to implement its vision and policies. This is in contrast with conservative policymakers’ more passive stance. Such a passive stance, in turn, seems to be shaped by conservative policymakers’ political ideologies and more negative perceptions of public opinion.
Conversely, interactions between local executives and civil society organizations did not show significant variation based on the political affiliation of local executives. This seems to be due to civil society organizations that engage with local policymakers regardless of political control and are driven by their own agendas and the imperative to support refugee integration.
Although less frequent, interactions on refugee integration in the analyzed localities are largely collaborative. Nevertheless, the quality of interactions depends on political factors. The presence of radical right opposition parties within municipal councils leads to more collaborative relations between local policymakers and private sector actors. This finding suggests that local policymakers may seek alliances with the private sector as a strategy to counterbalance the influence of radical right parties and public opposition to refugee integration. As an interviewed representative of an employer association involved in developing initiatives for refugee integration admits, local policymakers collaborate with the business community mainly for political purposes and are very keen to publicize these partnerships in local media.
This study shows that political factors significantly influence the emergence and nature of horizontal governance interactions in refugee integration. While local pragmatism plays a role, political preconditions and the strength of radical right parties are critical determinants. The findings challenge certain assumptions of the “local pragmatism thesis” to show that political ideology and public opinion are pivotal in shaping local governance strategies. However, the findings also partially question the existence of a “battleground” in the migration policy field in small localities.
This research contributes to understanding the interplay between politics and migration governance in small localities and highlights the need for nuanced policy approaches that consider local political landscapes. To understand what is happening at the local level, it is important to factor in the impact of different political configurations and emphasize the importance of collaboration between local governments, civil society, and the private sector.
Andrea Pettrachin, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Turin and Collegio Carlo Alberto, where he works with Prof. Tiziana Caponio on the scientific coordination of the Whole-COMM project. He previously worked at the European University Institute and the University of Bologna. He holds a PhD in Politics, awarded in 2020 by the University of Sheffield, supervised by Prof. Andrew Geddes.
Giacomo Solano, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in Migrant Inclusion at the Nijmegen School of Management, Radboud University. He holds a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Amsterdam and University of Milan-Bicocca (joint degree, 2016). His research interests include social and labor market integration of migrants, migrant entrepreneurship, comparative integration policies, social dynamics in developing countries and social network analysis.