The discrepancy between the national and local level in the approach to immigrants. The case of France
Abstract
The social integration of immigrants into mainstream society always has a strong local (and especially urban) dimension, and the attitudes and practices of local councils signifi cantly affect this process and its results. Our research compares the practice of 22 French cities/ city districts, contrasting the metropolitan region of Paris with a signifi cant immigrant population to the rural region of Basse-Normandie with a considerably lower share of immigrants.
The concrete measures towards immigrants were substantially infl uenced by the size of the immigrant population, the duration of its presence in the city and its composition (country of origin, type of migration, etc.) and by the political persuasion of the city leaders. The study is based on a large number of detailed discussions with municipal offi cials, and allows and supports the illustration of general observations through concrete examples.