Unravelling the multi-level governance of Ukrainian refugee reception in Italy: a focus on small and medium-sized cities

Abstract

ABSTRACT The article suggests a shift in the understanding of the established concepts of battleground, local turn and governance decoupling, all of which have strongly influenced the framework of immigrant integration scholarship. It does so by looking at the puzzle of the reception of Ukrainians in Italy from the perspective of multi-level governance (MLG), which made it possible to identify the activism of small and medium-sized cities in contrast to the inefficiencies of the central government. Previous research has not adequately examined grassroots responses within the MLG framework, leaving a gap in understanding the interplay between local mobilisation and national policies. Despite the (seemingly) cooperative multi-level response to Ukrainian refugees, there have been numerous delays and poor performance in reception, resulting in smaller localities bearing the brunt of the challenges of the refugee influx. This research draws on 40 semi-structured interviews with representatives of third-sector organisations, local authorities and national agencies.