Adapting to Crisis: The Governance of Public Services for Migrants and Refugees during COVID-19 in Four European Cities

Federica Zardo (), Lydia Rössl and Christina Khoury
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Federica Zardo: Department for Migration and Globalization, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
Lydia Rössl: Department for Migration and Globalization, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria
Christina Khoury: Department for Migration and Globalization, Danube University Krems, Dr.-Karl-Dorrek-Straße 30, 3500 Krems, Austria

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-23

Abstract: The lack of access to basic services played a big part among the key effects of COVID-19 on migrants and refugees. This paper examines the governance dynamics behind public services for migrants and refugees to understand how COVID-19 has impacted them and what accounts for different levels of adaptive capacity. It employs a mixed methods approach, using egocentric network analysis and qualitative interviews to compare the service ecosystems in four European cities from 2020 to 2022 (Birmingham, Larissa, Malaga, and Palermo). The paper explores the impact of two conditions on the service ecosystems’ ability to adapt to the pandemic: the structure of governance and the presence of dynamic capabilities. We argue that the ability of local governments to manage pandemic challenges is highly dependent on the formal distribution of comprehensive competences across various levels (the structure of governance), and the quality of network cooperation between different administrations and civil society (dynamic capabilities). Our analysis reveals that while both conditions are critical for the level of adaptive capacity in public services’ provision, the structure of governance is more likely to act as a constraint or trigger for coping strategies.

Keywords: COVID-19; crisis response; migration; integration and asylum; local governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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