The debate about the local governance of migration and diversity has traditionally focused on metropolis and big cities. Yet, the ‘migration and refugee crisis’ has deeply redefined the geography of migrants’ settlement in the EU. In fact, between 2014 and 2015 small towns and rural areas have been confronted with increasing migration from areas of political and humanitarian crisis either spontaneously or through the operating of the national redistribution plans put in place by the member states to alleviate pressure on border areas and main cities. Accommodation in these smaller localities has often been accompanied by local reactions of rejection and intergovernmental conflicts. However, long-term issues regarding migrants’ social integration and quality of life in local communities remain to be explored.

These issues are likely to be even more relevant in the post-covid19 context. Economic sectors of a vital relevance, like agriculture and food processing, and sectors hit hard by the pandemic like tourism, are characterised by both a high prevalence of migrant workers and a high territorial concentration in small/medium towns and rural areas. A better understanding of migration governance in small localities and rural areas is, therefore, of utmost importance.  

This is a part of a blog post by Tiziana Caponio.