Cities and immigrant citizenship: a comparison of local citizenship policies in Barcelona and Munich

Abstract

This article compares policies for immigrant integration in Barcelona and Munich, two cases of cities following a rather inclusive approach in this area. It is based the analysis of policy documents and interviews with policy makers and civil society representatives. The analysis is structured along the dimensions status, rights and identity. It identifies very similar approaches, which combine own initiatives of the cities with a favourable interpretation of the policies of higher levels of government that they implement and attempts to directly influence national policies. Contributing to the debate on local vs. national citizenship models, the article suggests that cities that choose to actively engage in regulating immigrant incorporation, both in a more inclusive and restrictive direction, can significantly modify the boundaries of citizenship that national policies impose, while cities that do not engage in this policy area might simply reproduce the orientation of national policies.