Scholars have observed an increasing convergence between states as regards immigrant integration policies. Despite the fact that most immigrants settle in cities, and an increasing number of city governments has passed policy measures addressing immigrant residents, relatively little attention has been paid so far to cities when studying the phenomenon of convergence in migration studies.
In order to address this research gap the proposed paper is analyzing immigrant integration policy types, in four European capital cities: Dublin, Budapest, Vienna and Warsaw. These cities represent contrasting cases (in particular in terms of immigrant demography, and history of immigration), as well as polities that have undergone European integration at different points of time. These different cases hence allow in particular well to scrutinize processes and different degrees of convergence, and to examine the impact of Europeanization on local approaches to immigrant integration.
The paper shows that there are indeed strong patterns of convergence at the city level, and identifies the mechanisms that account for these developments. It highlights that convergence is a result of the international diffusion of ideas, and a high degree of cross-city learning. Internationally oriented experts as well as transnational communication networks have a crucial role in diffusing ideas, and shape policy outputs decisively. The European immigrant integration agenda and instruments such as the European Integration Fund are in turn in particular relevant in cities located in newer EU member states, as the cases of Budapest and Warsaw demonstrate.
