Toward Street-Level Communities of Practice? The Implications of Actor Diversification in Migration Management in Athens and Berlin

Abstract

The so-called refugee crisis of 2015–2017 has accelerated the diversification of frontline actors involved in the field of migration management. Although this shift has been widely acknowledged, its implications remain unclear. Focusing on the capital cities of Athens and Berlin, this paper examines the views and experiences of individual frontline actors from different organizational sectors. The findings suggest that the intensified inter-organizational collaboration at the street-level leads to the emergence of wider communities of practice, composed of diverse “front-liners”. Although the front-liners develop a shared community membership, they simultaneously experience internal conflicts due to enduring sectoral divides and competing institutional logics.