Policy Blueprint for the ECGood Practices and Main Issues to

Address

Marco Giugni(University of Geneva)

Sponsored by:

Contextual level

Institutional opportunities for the political integration of migrants provided by political institutions vary across cities and in part also across ethnic groups within the same city.

Discursive opportunities for the political integration of migrants provided by prevailing public discourses vary across cities.

Variations in the institutional and discursive opportunities have an important impact on the processes of organisational formation of migrants’ associations.

Variations in the institutional and discursive opportunities have an important impact on the degree of political integration of individual migrants, both at the attitudinal (political orientations) and the behavioural (socio-political behaviour) level.

Notwithstanding a fairly high degree of homogeneity in the statistical data on migrants, comparative data across cities is rather difficult to find.

Ethnic groups are in an underprivileged situation in socioeconomic and cultural terms as compared to the autochthonous population. Some groups, however, are better off than others in this regard.

Organisational level

The density and structure of migrants’ organisational networks vary across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city. These variations are reflected in different amounts of social capital at the collective level.

Variations in the density and structure of migrants’ organisational networks have an important impact on the degree of political integration of individual migrants, both at the attitudinal (political orientations) and the behavioural (socio-political behaviour) level.

The amount of resources possessed by migrants’ associations varies across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Variations in the amount of resources possessed by migrants’ associations have an important impact on the degree of political integration of individual migrants, both at the attitudinal (political orientations) and the behavioural (socio-political behaviour) level.

Individual level

The level of trust in the political institutions displayed by migrants is generally comparable to that of autochthonous citizens. Institutional trust, however, varies across ethnic groups and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Migrants are generally less interested in the country of residence politics than autochthonous citizens. This reflects a deficit of integration at the attitudinal level. Political interest, however, varies across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Migrants are generally less involved in voluntary associations than autochthonous citizens. This reflects a lack of integration at the behavioural level. Associational involvement, however, varies across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Migrants generally participate less in political activities than autochthonous citizens. This reflects a deficit of integration at the behavioural level. Political participation, however, varies across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Migrants generally participate less in elections, where they have voting rights, than autochthonous citizens. In particular, naturalised immigrants participate systematically less than comparable autochthonous citizens in national elections. This can be seen as a sign of a deficit of integration at the behavioural level.

The easier the acquisition of nationality in the country of residence in general, the more likely the participation of naturalised immigrants in national elections. Thus, citizenship acquisition may be considered as an instrument rather than an outcome of integration.

Migrants tend to keep strong links with their country of residence. Such transnationalism, however, varies across cities and across ethnic groups within the same city.

Involvement in voluntary associations and the command of the language of the country of residence are the most important predictors of the political participation of migrants at the individual level. Associational involvement produces social capital at the individual level which spill over on the willingness to participate in political activities. Command of the country of residence language is part of the human capital necessary to be politically integrated.