Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 27th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG1: Local Government Author(s) Marie Jelinkova Charles University 11636 Czech Republic Title The Local Integration of Migrants: Experiences and Perspectives File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Marie Jelinkova Abstract The paper focuses on the issue of migrant integration at the local level in Czechia. The number of legal migrants in the Czech society reached 5%, and their integration has become challenging. The state framework of migrant integration is formulated in regularly updated “Conception of Integration of Foreigners in the CR”. Nevertheless, the role of the state in this area is often substituted by the civil society actors. The paper focuses on the key the role of local governments in migrant integration, which remains to be understudied in the CEE. The paper aims to analyse the present development of migrant integration policies with emphasis on the local level. Based on empirical research, it explores selected regions and their approaches to migrant integration. By drawing on the theory of local governance and the theory of network governance, the study is based on empirical research of migrant integration policies at the level of local governments. Using an example of two selected regions (the Liberecky region and the Jihomoravsky region) and the capital Prague, it analyses the current development in migrant (local) integration in the CR. Furthermore, it compares these three self-governing bodies from the perspective of their capacity of “local governance” towards migrant integration and the ability as well as the willingness of these regions to deal with the issue of migrant integration. The study uses interviews with stakeholders, content analysis of documents, comparison and generalisation as the main research methods. The visualisation of regional networks in the area of migrant integration is used to analyse and demonstrate the capacity of selected regions to deal with migrant integration. Finally, the conclusion discusses both practical and theoretical implications for integration policies in the Czechia and possibly in the V4 region.
