María Sánchez-Domínguez

How level is the Playing Field? Divided Families Among Latin American Immigrants in Spain

International migratory movements tend to produce the reality of divided families that are located in at least two different places. The literature on divided or transnational families and family r ...International migratory movements tend to produce the reality of divided families that are located in at least two different places. The literature on divided or transnational families and family reunification movements has shown how the socio-demographic determinants in origin and the socio-economic and institutional factors in destination drive these processes. Assuming that migratory movements are the result to a large extent of specifically familial dynamics and strategies, in this paper we are interested in exploring whether other elements associated to the country of origin and to the relationship between country of origin and country of destination have a discernible influence on the family results of migration and, specifically, on the separation and subsequent reunification of the immigrant families. This complex set of elements builds on the playing field where migratory decisions are taken. The Spanish case, characterized by a sudden explosion of international immigration between 2000 and 2007 and significant numbers of Latin American migrants arriving during these years, is a particularly suitable scenario to investigate this phenomenon. The empirical analysis will be mainly based on the National Immigrant Survey of Spain (2007).

Mainstreaming by Accident in the New-Migration Countries: The Role of NGOs in Spain and Poland

This chapter analyses the mainstreaming of immigrant integration governance in Spain and Poland. The relatively new trends of migration in these countries provide a relevant testing ground for the theory of mainstreaming. We analyse how mainstreaming has occurred, what the mechanisms behind this process are, and who is the main social and political actor in the process of (non-)mainstreaming. Our results suggest that the economic crisis has led to the phenomenon we call ‘mainstreaming by accident’. In both cases, welfare states have neglected immigrant-oriented social policies because of economic cuts, resulting in a gap in the coverage of the needs of immigrants in Spain and Poland. The actor who has taken responsibility for the immigrants are the NGOs whose capacity to intervene is limited.