Abstract
A surge in refugee arrivals post-2015 challenged small localities across Europe to respond to ‘refugee integration’ locally. Existing literature focuses little on governance dynamics in small localities, particularly regarding actors’ roles and relations. Based on fieldwork in four Dutch localities, we analyse the involvement of different actor types and explore if/how they develop collaborative relations. We show that small town governments engage in different forms of collaborative governance, from consolidated actor networks and intensive collaboration between local governments and CSOs to fragmented networks with more passive governments. However, we also find conflicts among actors due to power asymmetries and diverging interests and values. We identify several factors shaping interaction patterns, including localities’ size, political orientation, political leadership, residents’ attitudes and municipal decision-making. Despite outsourcing tasks, local governments remain pivotal in integration governance, giving them a crucial role in creating inclusive, participatory spaces, preventing actors’ alienation and designing efficient policy responses.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Journal | Local Government Studies |
DOIs | |
Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 21 May 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Research programs
- ESSB PA
- ESSB SOC