STREAM 18: SOCIAL INNOVATION POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN SUPPORTING MIGRANTS, REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS

Description:

International migration has become a field of highly disputed policy solutions and connected debates in Europe and beyond (Geddens & Scholten, 2016). For instance, in Europe, such polarized and polarizing discourses and policy preferences have grown since the mid-2010s when the number of people fleeing their countries significantly increased due to the war in Syria as well as protracted political, social and economic instability in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. 

While mainstreaming media and political entrepreneurs tended to focus on the potential security issues raised by increased fluxes of refugees and migrants, civil society activists, private companies, and local authorities have been at the forefront of the provision of humanitarian help as well as in the promotion of integration programs (Calò et al., 2021; Garkisch et al., 2017). Acting sometimes in a policy vacuum or even in defiance of national authorities, such civil society organisations, companies, and local or sub-national authorities have deployed a creative spirit of innovations allowing people fleeing from poverty, war, and persecution, find a place where to obtain protection and begin a new life through education, training, work and entrepreneurship, (Bolzani et al., 2020; Garkisch et al., 2017). These innovations became even more important during the Covid-19 pandemic (Patuzzi, 2020). 

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Although numerous contributions have tackled this area of research, much ground remains to be covered. This stream therefore aims to gather contributions shedding light on such innovative forms of support of migrants, among which refugees and asylum seekers, across a range of aspects, including economic, social or political dimensions. It invites papers discussing social innovations having occurred in the broad field of migration, either as first help or more long-term integration-seeking programs and actions, not only focused on host-country but also on transnational and multi-sited initiatives. 

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We therefore invite contributions to the stream on the following (non-exhaustive) topics:  

• Civil society led social innovation in supporting migrants (including refugees and asylum seekers), during and after Covid-19 pandemic;  

• Collective action and social movements in support of migrants’ needs and voice;  

• Private businesses’ engagement in social innovation initiatives fostering economic, social and political inclusion of migrants; 

• Social innovation through the support of (social) migrant entrepreneurship and social enterprises; 

• Social innovation actions targeting public opinion’s perception of migration, and in particular innovative forms of communication about migration;  

• Policy provision and welfare state models in the promotion of migrants’ integration dynamics;  

• Social innovation and labour market integration of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; 

• Social innovation in performing arts, culture and leisure initiatives aiming at migrants’ social inclusion. 

References 

Bolzani, D., Marabello, S., & Honig, B. (2020). Exploring the multi-level processes of legitimacy in transnational social enterprises. Journal of Business Venturing, 35(3), 105941.  

Calò, F., Montgomery, T., Baglioni, S., 2021. Marginal Players? The Third Sector and Employability Services for Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK. Voluntas. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-020-00306-6 

Freudenberg, J., & Halberstadt, J. (2018). How to integrate refugees into the workforce–different opportunities for (social) entrepreneurship. Problemy Zarządzania, (1/2018 (73), t. 2), 40-60. 

Garkisch, M., Heidingsfelder, J., & Beckmann, M. (2017). Third sector organizations and migration: A systematic literature review on the contribution of third sector organizations in view of flight, migration and refugee crises. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 28(5), 1839–1880. 

Geddes, A., Scholten, P. (2016). The Politics of Migration and Immigration in Europe. Second edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Ltd. 

Patuzzi (2020). Driving Migrant Inclusion through Social Innovation. Lessons for cities in a pandemic. Brussels and Rome: Migration Policy Institute Europe and International Organization for Migration. 

The Times (2018). Migration crisis could break Europe, warns Merkel. 28 June 2018. Available at https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/migration-crisis-could-break-europe-warns-merkel-n5cx8zq36, accessed 20 September 2018.