The Odd Bond between Social Movements and Policy-Makers along the Policy Process: Which Consequences for Immigrant Integration? Evidences from the Italian Cities of Milan and Naples

This Paper concerns the consequences of social movements for migration policy at the local level, especially within urban contexts. Such public policies concern the civil, social, and political integration of immigrants, and they are likely to trigger contentious episodes not only upon material issues, such as social welfare and security, but also cultural ones. A theoretical framework is built borrowing from policy studies, so to closely scrutinize the dynamic interplay between movements and their targets, namely policy-makers. The patterns of their interaction vary over time, as each stage of the policy process represents a distinct political arena. In particular, it is argued that the responsiveness of local politicians and bureaucrats vis-à-vis movement demands is influenced by the strategy of movements themselves, i.e. as insiders or outsiders. This can lead to marginalization, cooptation, or even cooperation when policies are formulated and approved. In turn, such relationships further reshape opportunities and constraints for movements during the consequent implementation stage, e.g. cooptation might result in either de-mobilization or confrontation by activists. Eventually, the impacts of these dynamics on the policy success can be assessed, i.e. whether the actual delivery of policies for immigrants is aligned with their stated objectives. The role of other actors from the civil society, such as voluntary organizations, is taken into account, as they also target institutions and possibly facilitate the access of movements. To scrutinize such causal mechanisms, the paper focuses on the Italian cities of Milan and Naples. Both these metropolises experienced a change of the city governments in 2011. The new governing coalitions were supported by numerous progressive movements, of which the elected mayors were notable sympathizers. Prominent movement allies accessed institutions, then displacing the previous structures of opportunities. Through the analysis of policy documents and interviews, variations are assessed both across time and across cities.