Are small towns a battleground for migration governance? Negotiating refugee integration in small towns in the Netherlands

Figures & data

Figure 1. Overview of the selected cases in the Netherlands.

Table 1. Summary of cases’ key characteristics.

	Locality A Medium-sized town	Locality B Small town	Locality C Small town	Locality D Rural area
Province	Utrecht	South Holland	Overijssel	Drenthe
Size	140.000–170.000,^3^4	50.000–80.000	50.000–80.000	20.000–40.000 1 main town, 30 villages
% migration background (2021)	25% 16% ‘Non-Western’^5	12% 6% ‘Non-Western’	27% 16% ‘Non-Western’	9% 4% ‘Non-Western’
Number of recognised refugees	1200 in 2020^6	350	500	NA
Economic situation	Stable and growing Unemployment level < national average	Stable Unemployment level < national average	Unemployment level > national average High share of welfare recipients	Inner-municipal differences (poorer and better-off villages) Unemployment level = national average
Political orientation (2018–2022)	Progressive and conservative	Christian-conservative	Conservative-right, presence of RRP	Conservative/moderate with strong local party
Alderman for integration	Left-progressive	Christian-conservative	Conservative	Social-democratic

Table 2. Main local actors in integration policymaking.

Actor	Service	Locality A	Locality B	Locality C	Locality D
Formal actors	Social support	Local CSO (one-stop-shop)	Local (generic) welfare organisation	Local specialised CSO	National Dutch Council for Refugees
	Housing		Housing corporation	Housing corporations	Housing corporation
	Employment		Regional semi-public body	Municipal work-coaches and regional partners	Municipal dedicated client manager
Other (informal) actors	Informal language education, social activities	Volunteer network, 60–80 actors	Library	Welfare organisation, small CSO	National voluntary organisation (Humanitas), Library
Networks		Network Integration			Multifunctional neighbourhood centre