WP4 – Civil Society Barriers and Enablers

The aim of WP4 is to examine and assess the role of civil society organizations in facilitating or hindering the integration of post-2014 migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers into the labour market and the society, more broadly.

In this respect, WP4 will analyze the role of civil society organizations from the viewpoint of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers; moreover it will explore the views of representatives from civil society organizations on recent migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, their employability and integration potential, and identify the transnational links of national organizations with foreign and transnational civil society organizations including international institutions and structures; the importance of integration in the context of other perspectives related to the position of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the labour market will be analysed; finally the ability of civil society organizations to adapt to the post-2014 migrant flows and to respond to the growing negative perceptions towards migration, asylum seekers and refugees in Europe will be explored.

The selection of countries allows for a comparison of contexts with historically very important roles of non-profit associations providing services on behalf of the state (e.g. the Czech Republic), countries with a non-negligible role of churches in providing social services to migrants (e.g. Italy) and countries with long histories of migration and where migrant associations have played an important role (e.g. the United Kingdom, Switzerland). The post-2014 focus, therefore, will provide up-to-date information on the in/ability of civil society organizations to respond to the social and primarily labour market integration needs of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers (e.g. as services providers).

Outputs: Civil Society Barriers and Enablers