Local authorities, human rights and the reception and integration of forced migrants in Greece and Italy

This dissertation yields insights into two rather recent, quickly expanding, and closely related research areas: the role of municipalities in the reception and integration of forced migrants, and the rise and proliferation of human rights cities. It comprises of five stand-alone and at the same time interrelated treatises that highlight the way local authorities in Greece and Italy contributed to the protection and fulfilment of forced migrants’ fundamental rights amidst and after 2015’s ‘long summer of migration’. It presents the results of an interdisciplinary desk and empirical research, which integrates conceptual and theoretical insights from migration and refugee studies, international human rights law, leadership studies, local government studies, urban policy-making, and crisis management literature. Overall, the dissertation highlights municipal attempts to design and implement policies that facilitate the short-term reception and long-term integration of forced migrants into local communities in a human rights-conforming way. Several aspects stand out: a) the reasons that prompt local authorities to engage in migration governance matters that fall outside their institutional mandate (e.g. local pragmatism, opportunities for local development); b) the protagonists behind instances of municipal policy activism in the reception and integration of forced migrants (mayors, municipal officials); c) the strategies that local authorities apply to strengthen the protection of forced migrants’ human rights on the ground (e.g., collaboration with civil society, international organisations); d) the motives behind local authorities’ engagement with human rights as law, practice, and discourse in the field of migration governance (e.g., political conflicts with higher levels of government). The findings demonstrate that local authorities, even when situated within very restrictive institutional and financial contexts, have significant potential to directly influence the on-the-ground governance of forced migration. A good example in this respect is the ‘against-all-odds’ municipal policy activism of the Thessaloniki in Greece. In addition, the findings highlight the relevance of mayoral leadership to improving forced migrants' reception conditions and strengthening the protection of their fundamental rights. Lastly, the findings show that at times when legal and institutional frameworks at higher levels underdeliver, local authorities and their political leaders can step in and effectively address human rights deficits in the field of migration – as in the case of the Italian city of Bologna. In conclusion, the dissertation offers several lessons for local-level politicians and practitioners, which can assist them in overcoming structural constraints and developing human rights-based strategies for the reception and integration of forced migrants. Among these are: the proactive use of discretion on behalf of mayors in the field of migration governance; broad coalition-building with like-minded partners, locally and transnationally, to access know-how and external funding; and the timely institutionalisation of project-based initiatives