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M. Ecker:
"How to address the missing local perspective? Refugee integration in Austrian municipalities - barriers and opportunities";
Talk: Regional Inequalities - Patterns, Causes, Effects and Policies, Marburg (invited); 03-14-2018 - 03-16-2018.

The topic of integrating immigrants into a country is framed on a national level, but it is the local level where integration takes place (see e.g. Bosswick & Heckmann, 2006). This paper thus focuses on methodological considerations and a theoretical basis for investigating barriers and opportunities for refugee integration on a local scale in Austrian municipalities.
Historically, the communal perspective on integrating asylum applicants and refugees has been at the margin of scientific research. In contrast to Germany, where several investigations with a focus on the local scale have been carried out (e.g. Aumüller, 2009; Aumüller & Gesemann, 2014; Bommes, 2009), there is little to no research on the role and potentials of Austrian municipalities. Most studies address the national scale or large cities (Allmeier et al., 2014; Gruber, 2015). The aim of this contribution is thus to highlight how differential potentials and barriers, or "local opportunity structures" (Caglar & Glick-Schiller, 2015, p. 6) in different Austrian municipalities may be investigated.
The paper discusses theoretical concepts with a focus on integration (e.g. Ager & Strang, 2008), as well as spatial aspects (Herod, 2011) and social innovation (Moulaert, MacCallum, Mehmood, & Hamdouch, 2014). Based on this discussion, a research concept for dissertational research on the topic is outlined.

The topic of integrating immigrants into a country is framed on a national level, but it is the local level where integration takes place (see e.g. Bosswick & Heckmann, 2006). This paper thus focuses on methodological considerations and a theoretical basis for investigating barriers and opportunities for refugee integration on a local scale in Austrian municipalities.
Historically, the communal perspective on integrating asylum applicants and refugees has been at the margin of scientific research. In contrast to Germany, where several investigations with a focus on the local scale have been carried out (e.g. Aumüller, 2009; Aumüller & Gesemann, 2014; Bommes, 2009), there is little to no research on the role and potentials of Austrian municipalities. Most studies address the national scale or large cities (Allmeier et al., 2014; Gruber, 2015). The aim of this contribution is thus to highlight how differential potentials and barriers, or "local opportunity structures" (Caglar & Glick-Schiller, 2015, p. 6) in different Austrian municipalities may be investigated.
The paper discusses theoretical concepts with a focus on integration (e.g. Ager & Strang, 2008), as well as spatial aspects (Herod, 2011) and social innovation (Moulaert, MacCallum, Mehmood, & Hamdouch, 2014). Based on this discussion, a research concept for dissertational research on the topic is outlined.

refugees, local development, municipalities, integration