Theories of Local Immigration Policy

verfasst von: Felipe Amin Filomeno

Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buchreihe : Politics of Citizenship and Migration

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book offers a critical account of studies of local immigration policy and a relational approach to explain its emergence, variation, and effects in a context of interdependence and globalization. The author emphasizes the horizontal interactions between local governments, and vertical interactions between local and national levels of government, as well as international interactions. Everywhere in the world, a growing number of cities are faced with challenges and opportunities brought by immigration. While some local governments have welcomed immigrants and promoted their social inclusion, others have actively prevented their arrival and settlement. Most studies emphasize the role of local conditions in the making and implementation of local immigration policy, but this book argues that broader processes– such as inter-governmental relations, economic globalization, and international institutions– are crucial.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

1. Introduction: Local Governments and Immigration

Abstract

Filomeno offers an introduction to the study of local immigration policy and proposes a relational approach to advance this field of inquiry. Most studies articulate a localist narrative in which local problems associated with immigration prompt local policies, shaped by local conditions and with local consequences. Other studies show that local immigration policies cannot be understood apart from their context, including inter-governmental relations, transnational economic processes and international norms. After discussing the limits of the localist approach, Filomeno describes the ontological, theoretical and methodological principles of a relational approach, which can explain the emergence, variation and effects of local immigration policy in a context of globalization.

Felipe Amin Filomeno

2. The Localist Approach to Local Immigration Policy

Abstract

According to the localist approach to local immigration policy, local problems associated with immigration prompt local policies that are shaped by local conditions and have local outcomes. The local conditions emphasized in this literature are the identity and ethnic composition of the local community, the competition between immigrants and natives for local resources, the local electoral politics and partisanship, the local bureaucracy, and the local mobilization of immigrant-supporting organizations. The local policy outcomes underscored in these studies are the civic organization of local immigrant communities, the level of local economic activity, and the local public safety.

Felipe Amin Filomeno

3. Relational Arguments in Studies of Local Immigration Policy

Abstract

Some studies demonstrate that local immigration policy is fundamentally shaped by processes encompassing, cutting across and linking multiple localities. Most of these studies emphasize top-down processes, showing the multiple ways through which national immigration politics shapes local immigration policy. Other studies show that local governments do more than simply follow national directives and can even influence the governance of immigration on the national level. Horizontal relations between local governments, including both competition and cooperation, are also considered important for the making and implementation of local policies for immigrants. These vertical and horizontal interactions are crucial not only to explain local immigration policy but also to understand why policies converge or diverge in the multilevel governance of immigration.

Felipe Amin Filomeno

4. The Relational Approach to Local Immigration Policy

Abstract

Local immigration policies are embedded in broader processes that encompass, cut across and link multiple localities. The relational approach is especially designed to account for such processes, combining relational arguments of previous studies with contributions from anthropology, human geography, sociology and public policy theory. Following a transactional ontology, this approach conceives the locality as an open site for processes of regional, national and transnational scope. Through these processes, the locality and its policies are formed in relation to dynamics at work on other levels and in other places. This ontology can be operationalized through the concept of policy network, theories of policy diffusion, and the concept of city scale. Methodologically, this ontology can be operationalized through extended case studies, encompassing comparisons, and incorporated comparisons.

Felipe Amin Filomeno

5. Conclusion: The Prominence of Local Immigration Policy

Abstract

Urbanization and international human mobility will continue to be key features of globalization. In this context, local immigration policy is poised to gain prominence, but it cannot be sufficiently understood without an account of the regional, national and transnational processes in which it is embedded. The relational approach to local immigration policy proposed by Filomeno is especially designed for this challenge. It can also be extended to studies of other types of local/urban policies, of national immigration policies, and of the multi-level governance of immigration.

Felipe Amin Filomeno

Backmatter

Titel: Theories of Local Immigration Policy
verfasst von: Felipe Amin Filomeno
Verlag: Springer International Publishing
Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-45952-3
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-45951-6
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45952-3