Network Resources and the Political Engagement of Migrant Organisations in Milan

Abstract

This article analyses the political engagement of immigrant organisations in Milan. Theoretically, I discuss three types of resource which may affect this engagement: institutional, group-related and network resources. By using data on 46 immigrant organisations, I examine the role of network resources and how they affect the contacts that immigrant organisations build with Italian political institutions. The study shows that networks among organisations increase the number of political contacts organisations build. However, not all links are significant. While links with autochthonous organisations are relevant, links with immigrant ones are not. Comparing my results with the literature developed in other contexts, I suggest that the political context may affect the type of organisational structure which develops and the network resources with which immigrant organisations are endowed. In contexts where ethnic differences are recognised, immigrant organisations seem to have enough resources to organise and act autonomously in the political sphere. In contrast, where social organisation around ethnicity is not encouraged, immigrant organisations’ possibilities for mobilisation seem to derive from resources mediated by autochthonous organisations which largely prevail in the field of immigration.