Academic publications

Special issue “Welcoming spaces”: Migration and new communities in marginalised regions in Journal of International Migration and Integration. Please find the special issue here.

Zoomers, E.B. (2023). Epilogue: Chicken or Egg? The Role of Newcomer Migrants in the Revitalization of ‘Left‑Behind’ Areas. Journal of International Migration and Integration https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-023-01084-y

This contribution questions the common assumptions and practices concerning the hosting of newcomers in depopulated, remote and disinvested places in order to revitalize these places. While newcomers can contribute to new socioeconomic vitality in marginalised areas, they should not be taken as the only or main solution. The reallocation of public funding, new (translocal) solidarities and people-based investment plans are imperative if we are to solve the problem of growing poverty and inequality in Europe. The full article can be found here.

Moralli, M., Musarò, P. & Parmiggiani. P. (2023). From social integration to social emplacement: perspectives from Italian rural areas, International Review of Sociology, DOI: 10.1080/03906701.2023.2259061

Based on a qualitative research on migrant settlement in rural Italy, this article proposes moving beyond the concept of social integration to explore the potential of social emplacement of asylum seekers and refugees in non-urban areas by looking into four analytical categories – path dependency, choice, social capital, and access to services and housing. The full article can be found here.

Martins, J. R., & Davino, C. (2023). Local Migration Governance in European Shrinking Areas: a German and an Italian Case. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1-26.

This research explores innovative perspectives in local governance, based on two case studies in rural, shrinking areas in Germany and Italy in quest of revitalisation and the emplacement of asylum seekers and refugees in their territories. The full article can be found here.

Meijer, M., Popławska, J. Z., & Szytniewski, B. (2023). Spaces of Decoupling in the Netherlands and Poland: Emerging Local Governance Networks for Hosting Non-EU Migrants in Peripheral and Shrinking Areas. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 1-24.

This study explores different spaces of decoupling to better understand
how local discourses on migration governance relate to national ones and, more specifically, how local governments in shrinking peripheral areas deal with the arrival and settlement of non-EU migrants. The full article can be found here.

Alonso-Pardo, P., Oso, L. & Santaballa, L. (2023). Newcomers and ‘Roots Migrants’: Chain Migrations and the Revitalization of Rural Shrinking Areas in Spain. Int. Migration & Integration .

This article analyses the processes of rural shrinking/revitalisation in Spain from the perspective of chain mobilities which considers the articulation between internal/international, historical/recent migrations and shrinking/revitalisation processes. These spatial mobilities are also analysed in relation to the articulation of the local and immigrant population’s intergenerational social mobility processes. The full article can be found here.

Lomonaco, A., Bergamaschi, M., Musarò, P. et al. (2023). Welcoming and Generative Local Welfare as an Agent for Territorial Development: A Case Study from Southern Italy. Int. Migration & Integration .

This article has a twofold objective: first to reflect on the presence of non-EU migrants in shrinking Italian areas and their possible role in local sustainable development, arguing that what is portrayed as a ‘problem may turn out to be an added value. Secondly, it investigates the role of the local community in the governance of local welfare practices and its capacity to produce social innovations in favour of newcomers and ‘old residents’. The full article can be found here.

Szalanska, J., Gac, J., Jastrzebska, E., Poplawska, J.Z. and Moralli, M. (2023). Public policy towards immigrants in Poland’s shrinking cities–The case study of the city of Lomza. International Migration, 61(1), pp.256-272.

Some regions and cities in Poland face challenges due to an accelerating depopulation. Simultaneously, Poland is host to more than 2 million immigrants who mitigate the negative consequences of the population outflow and ageing. While bigger Polish cities adopted particular local strategies and measures addressed to migrants, the situation of smaller cities and towns, especially the shrinking ones, has not yet been explored. Therefore, we took a closer look at Lomza, a downscaled middle-sized city in the east of Poland where two phenomena occur: the accelerating depopulation caused mainly by the outflow of its residents and an inflow of foreign migrants. The full article can be found here.