WP28 Responsible

CR24 - University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research (Trento)

WP28 Responsible for Spread of Excellence

CR24 - University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research (Trento)

WP28 Objectives

The integration of migrants into existing social and political structures has become a fundamental issue for western democracies. Many countries in recent years have made efforts to devise policies more responsive to cultural differences. And, progressively, migrant groups have become more visible and more organized at the political level, enhancing their capacity to make political claims. This work package chooses health-care system as a field to test public institutions’ ability to provide acknowledgment of cultural diversity. The health care system is a sector of public services which migrants are heavily dependent upon and, at the same time, it is dominated by rules and practices often alien to immigrants’ cultural beliefs and customs. Therefore, it is essential to examine how public health institutions, national and local politicians, practitioners, nurses and health workers relate to migrants and their organizations. We will examine to what extent they are engaged in guaranteeing access of migrants to health services. More broadly we will study agenda setting processes in the field and the promotion of institutional structures which facilitate dialogue and thematize key concepts in the fields which are culturally mediated, such as concepts of illness and care. On the other hand, we will examine to what extent immigrants themselves, through their associations and pro-migrant associations, are involved in this process.

This WP oncentrates on these main points:

• the responsiveness of institutions and the role of institutional actors (public health institutions, national and local politicians, practitioners, nurses and health workers):
• the participatory practices and the role of non institutional actors: analysis on formal and informal institutional measures for a culturally sensitive integration of migrants in the decision-making processes and the role that migrant and pro-migrant organizations play in them.

WP28 Descriprion of work

The WP aims at accounting for the complexity of negotiating and institutionalizing claims of cultural diversity in the sector of health care, collecting case studies. A number of research questions will be addressed:

• How do legal provisions, legislation and state support in national and local contexts shape access of regular and illegal migrants to health-care system?
• How has the health-care system organized immigrant needs in terms of its institutional practices?
• Which kinds of opportunities exist for intercultural dialogue.
• Which is the degree of receptiveness of institutions on issues proposed by immigrants?
• How do immigrant communities articulate their claim for increasing participation into the process of policy-making?
• How reactive are institutions to the claim for participation of migrants, pro-migrant and third sector associations?
• Are there strategies and institutional practices to enhance migrant participation in the process of policy-making?

WP28 Participants

• CR24 - University of Trento, Department of Sociology and Social Research (Trento)
• CR16 - University of Tampere, Department of Sociology and Social Psychology (Tampere)
• CR25 - IARD Institute, Istituto Iard Franco Brambilla (Milan)

WP28 Documents

For documents of this work package, please go to CINEFOGO Database and type WP28 in the Search field.