Informal Networks and Migrant Integration: Evidence from Focus Groups in Jordan

• In Event: Migrant Workers and Sending State Relations

Abstract

Migrant integration research shows that informal networks play a key role in migrant political integration. Women and ethnic minority populations especially rely on informal networks to build up political knowledge, create or join advocate networks, and connect with political actors. But how do these networks function outside of western democracies, especially where state policy is either unenforced or unclear? This project uses data from novel focus group discussions from five distinct migrant populations in Jordan to understand how informal networks can be best defined in this context and how precisely they are used to advance migrant political aims in the country. Jordan is an excellent test case as a (sometimes reluctant) host to a variety migrant populations and because everyday life is widely understood to require even native-born Jordanians to access informal networks in any government-citizen interactions.

Author

• Aryanna Hyde, Truman School of Government and Public Policy