Table of Contents
Objectives of the project
Migration and integration researchers usually see integration is a reciprocal process of adaptation between migrants and host societies, holding both migrants and hosts equally responsible for integration outcomes. In practice, however, the focus has largely been on the responsibilities of migrants, without appreciating the context of the host country, the attitudes of the population and the role of the various integration agents. How integration is understood, interpreted and implemented in everyday practice by what Lipsky (2010) refers to as ‘street level bureaucrats’, and how society and different local actors adapt to and welcome migrants into their communities, is important for the social inclusion of migrants to be truly successful. Coordination between the different actors involved in providing support to refugees is also very important, and has not always been successful in the Latvian case.
Thus, one of the central aims of this ambitious project is to provide a comprehensive and reliable assessment of the multi-faceted context of integration in Latvia and how various local agents affect the integration outcomes of Ukrainian and other third-country migrants. It also aims to provide information which has so far been missing on the needs, plans, everyday experiences, and overall social inclusion and well-being of newly arrived Ukrainian and other third-country migrants in Latvia from their own perspective, and to shed new light on possible governance strategies under conditions of instability and uncertainty.
One of the main objectives of this ambitious project is to provide a comprehensive and reliable assessment of the integration context in Latvia in different areas, analysing separately and in synergy the inclusion of migrants in national policies, municipalities, work environments, educational institutions, local communities and in accessing the necessary services. The project also aims to provide hitherto missing information on the needs, plans, daily experiences and overall social inclusion and well-being of newly arrived Ukrainian and other third-country migrants in Latvia from their own perspectives, as well as to shed light on possible strategies for managing immigration and integration in a context of instability and insecurity.
The research will result in international publications, seminars and a discussion forum, as well as recommendations for policy makers.
Research methods
The study will use both quantitative and qualitative research methods: a survey of Latvian businesses and local authorities, in-depth interviews with migrants, policy makers, local authorities, NGOs, employers, teachers and parents, as well as observation and innovative projective and visual methods.The research methodology proposed in the study, which is based on the analysis of specific municipal ‘cases’, will allow for an understanding of the role of different integration agents in facilitating integration processes, as well as shed light on the everyday experiences, perspectives and needs of migrants themselves.
Throughout the project, we will share updates on this website, as well as on the UL and IPSUL websites.
Team
Project Manager: Inta Mieriņa
Senior researchers:
Researchers:
PhD students:
We in media
«Latvia’s welcoming strategy for ukrainians fleeing war» — Oksana Žabko’s article for Hromada (2024).
«The War in Ukraine and Latvia’s Russian-speaking Community» – Inta Mieriņa’s article for Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS) (2024.06.26).
«Po vstupu do EU následovala v Lotyšsku vlna emigrace. V sousedních zemích hledají lepší život» – Inta Mieriņa talks to Czech Radio news portal iROZHLAS (2024.04.20).
This research is funded by the Latvian Council of Science, project «Reception of migrants under conditions of uncertainty: governance and local level inclusion», project No. LZP-2023/1-0227.