Relational Arguments in Studies of Local Immigration Policy

Abstract

Some studies demonstrate that local immigration policy is fundamentally shaped by processes encompassing, cutting across and linking multiple localities. Most of these studies emphasize top-down processes, showing the multiple ways through which national immigration politics shapes local immigration policy. Other studies show that local governments do more than simply follow national directives and can even influence the governance of immigration on the national level. Horizontal relations between local governments, including both competition and cooperation, are also considered important for the making and implementation of local policies for immigrants. These vertical and horizontal interactions are crucial not only to explain local immigration policy but also to understand why policies converge or diverge in the multilevel governance of immigration.