Notwithstanding differences in the timing and pace of migration flows toward Europe, new challenges linked to transnational migration and immigrants’ integration account for the emerging of these complex multi-level relations between different levels of government and actors in the society. We can distinguish a ‘vertical’ and a ‘horizontal’ dimension of governance. The ‘vertical’ dimension refers to relations between cities and higher levels of government: either regional, state or EU. The ‘horizontal’ dimension refers to level-specific studies analyzing actors’ relations (i.e. between public officials, NGOs, immigrant associations etc.). Bringing together work on the vertical and horizontal dimension can contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the local turn in migrant integration policies and academics
The aim of this panel is to provide an original contribution to the theorizing of the relationships between local, regional, national and supranational policies from a multi-level governance perspective. Furthermore, it will provide an opportunity to discuss existing research and to outline research gaps to be addressed by future research programmes. Comparative papers, both cross-country and cross-city/region in different countries would be particularly welcomed. Also well grounded case studies will be considered, as well as more theoretical papers proposing original approaches to the study of the multilevel governance of migrants integration policies
