University of Glasgow - Schools - School of Social & Political Sciences - Research - Research in Politics & International Relations - Projects - Governance and the Local Integration of Migrants and Europe’s Refugees (GLIMER)

Governance and the Local Integration of Migrants and Europe’s Refugees (GLIMER)

The current movement of peoples from conflict zones into the EU has been described as a ‘refugee crisis’. The aim of this project is to work towards innovative solutions that transform this ‘crisis’ into an opportunity for European cities. Our goal is to generate theoretically informed but empirically grounded data that is able, through best practice sharing and reporting, to advise policy-makers and stakeholders on how workable solutions can be found to integrate displaced migrants and refugees. Inspired by the success of ‘welcoming cities’ in southern Italy, we work with civil society groups, local authorities, businesses, citizens and refugee groups in order to support sustainable urban development and the successful integration of diverse communities. We focus on cities in both Southern and Northern Europe and a key aspect of the project is dedicated to investigating how the local governance of new arrivals can secure successful integration across a range of indicators. This research is carried out in close collaboration with practitioners with the aim of co-producing knowledge that can be beneficial for a range of stakeholders including civil society groups and NGOs as well as municipalities.