Migratowns

Experimenting Migrant Participation in Small and Medium-Sized Towns.

PISTE Project — Fri, 26 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

The volume represents the final policy and research output of the AMIF-funded project PISTE, focused on the participation of people from a migration background in Small and Medium-Sized Towns (SMSTs). It addresses the main findings and experiences developed during the project, targeting an audience of both researchers and policymakers. To this aim, after a set of foreword contributions from policymakers and experts and an introduction of the issues at stake, the first part addresses four key aspects of migrant participation in SMSTs: bridging figures, spaces of visibility, local capacity building, and preconditions for participation. These central articles combine PISTE research results with “lessons learned”, that are easy to check and useful for policymakers. Then, PISTE policy experiments in the four partner municipalities are presented, highlighting strengths, weaknesses and potential for replicability. Finally, the volume includes a Policy Brief, collecting all relevant recommendations tailored for policymakers of SMSTs willing to foster the civic and political participation of people from a migration background.

Migrating in small-and medium-sized towns: experiences, challenges, perspectives for participation

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This volume collects articles that have been firstly presented at the international policy and scientific conference "Migrating in small-and medium-sized towns: experiences, challenges, perspectives for participation", held in Thessaloniki (Greece) on the 13th and 14th March 2023 and organised by the AMIF-funded PISTE project. The conference has welcomed contributions from both researchers and policy actors dealing with the experience of migration within small- and medium-sized towns in Europe and this volume maintains that approach, in order to voice towns also as protagonists in diversification processes and not just as research fields. Ultimately, this book aims to give an insight on the the state of the art about the research and the experiences on this topic, proving the relevance of small- and medium-sized towns as immigration destinations and highlighting their challenges and opportunities.

Practices of integration and local networks in Small and Medium-Sized Towns

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This book is based on empirical research in the four case studies of the project Piste. Firstly, a background analysis of the regulatory framework for the integration and participation of migrants has been conducted for all four countries and localities (Bebra, Germany; Ferimignano, Italy; Voio, Greece; Ninove, Belgium(. Through the analysis of the policy documents, it was possible to distinguish the intended goals of integration policy at the national, regional and local levels. Secondly, an empirical study of the local networks and the practices pursuing integration and political participation has been compiled using qualitative research methods like focus group interviews and up to 30 semi-structured interviews in each case study. The interviewees were key actors from politics and administration at municipal, regional and partly supra-regional level,
operators from social services acting independently or on behalf of the state, as well as actors from the civil society sector. The latter included representatives of immigrant associations as well as, in part, individuals of migrant origin who are holding political positions. These analyses represent a step towards policy experimentation and the final development of guidelines for the implementation of an integration and participation policy in small and medium-sized towns which will be useful to develop further participation instruments.