Opening the black box of social innovation in migration governance

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate the role played by social innovation in challenging exclusion and marginality in relation to migration governance. Drawing on some reflections that have emerged from fieldwork, this contribution proposes an analytical framework that considers four interwoven dimensions: intercultural relations, social infrastructures, discourses and imaginaries and forms of participation. On the basis of these dimensions, social innovation can support and implement creative solutions that bring together civil society actors and local administrators. Although social innovations originate mainly at the level of civil society, we sustain that the study of socially innovative practices can be useful to explore the growing involvement of non-state actors in the governance of migration and their potentialities in terms of collective action.

Keywords:

• Social innovation
• migration
• governance
• narratives
• social infrastructures
• participation
• collective action

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/library-document/special-eurobarometer-integration-immigrants-european-union_en.

2 The interviews engaged migrant people who developed and planned the Migrantour initiative in the four cities, as well as with local associations and the citizens living in the neighbourhoods where the tours take place. The participant observations were conducted during the activities connected to the Migrantour initiative.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melissa Moralli

Melissa Moralli, PhD, is Assistant Professor at the Department of Sociology and Business Law, University of Bologna. She was visiting scholar at CRISES (Centre de Recherche sur les Innovations Sociales, Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada), IPK (Institute for Public Knowledge, New York University, USA), CRISES Redifined (University of Jyväskylä, Finland) and Mesopolhis (Centre méditerranéen de sociologie, de science politique et d’histoire, triple tutelle d’Aix-Marseille Université, de Sciences Po Aix et du Centre national de la recherche scientifique). Her research interests are: social innovation, migration and sustainability. She is researcher in the project ‘Atlas of Transitions. New Geographies for a Cross-Cultural Europe’, where she co-curated the summer school ‘Performing Resistance. Dialogues on Arts, Migration and Inclusive Societies’ and is currently researcher in the project ‘Welcoming Spaces. Revitalising Shrinking Areas by Hosting Non-Eu Migrants’ and in the project ‘Network of Excellence on Regional Liveable Diversity’ (Monash University, Australia). She is the PI of the International Research project ‘Visualising migration and local development in European non-urban contexts: an explorative research’ (Utrecht University). She is the author of many articles, chapters and books on social innovation, migration and participatory methodologies. One of her last books is ‘Innovazione sociale. Pratiche e processi per ripensare le comunità’ (‘Social Innovation. Practices and Processes to Rethink Communities’), FrancoAngeli, Milan.