Migrants’ economic, social, and political inclusion: what role for social innovation?

Chairs: Simone Baglioni (University of Parma), Daniela Bolzani (University of Bologna), Francesca Calò (Open University)

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 (e.g. The Times, 2018). 

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 (Caló et al., 2019; Freudenberg & Halberstadt, 2018). 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, entrepreneurship, and socialising events (Bolzani et al., 2020; Garkisch et al., 2017). These innovations became even more important during the Covid-19 pandemic (Patuzzi, 2020).

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 and integration 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.

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

• Civil society led social innovation in economic, social and political inclusion of 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 social policy for migrants’, refugees and asylum seekers inclusion;
• 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.