Exploring the Integration of Post-2014 Migrants in Small and Medium-sized Towns and Rural Areas from a Whole of Community Perspective

Whole-COMM proposes an innovative whole-of-community approach to the analysis of the integration of post-2014 migrants in small and medium-sized towns and rural areas (SMTR). By adopting a whole-of-community analytical lens and conducting a systematic cross-country/cross-locality and mixed-methods comparative study, Whole-COMM aims to contribute to:

1. the advancement of scientific knowledge and theorisation on the key dynamics and mechanisms that shape the relation between immigrant integration policy and community cohesion or fragmentation; and
2. to innovating the policy debate by empirically testing the feasibility of integration policies that do not target only migrants but engage all the relevant actors and aim at strengthening community cohesion and resilience.

On the practical and policy action plan, the new comparative knowledge generated by Whole-COMM will innovate the policy debate by empirically testing the feasibility of integration policies that do not target only migrants but reach out to all relevant actors and stakeholders and aim to strengthen community cohesion and resilience.