Intercultural policy and multi-level governance in Barcelona

Mainstreaming comprehensive approach

Bibliographic Data

ID9962239
AuthorsR Zapata-Barrero (0000-0002-3478-1330, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, corresponding author)
Year2017
Volume83
Issue2
Pages247-266
Publication date2017-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueInternational Review of Administrative Sciences (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0020-8523 • E-ISSN: 1461-7226
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0020852315592962
OpenAlexW2489072681
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited13

The main purpose of this article is to analyse Barcelona’s mainstreaming approach to intercultural policy from the beginning of its immigration process. My key questions are threefold: (a) why was Barcelona attracted by the intercultural approach so early in 1997? (b) how can we understand the consolidation of interculturalism? and (c) how can its successful permanent endurance (16 years) be explained, given different migratory contexts/political governments? I will argue that Barcelona’s status as a key player within the multi-level system of Catalan and Spanish governance has been a favourable key factor. I will first feature the mainstreaming approach, and then defend the argument that the vertical dimension has helped to strengthen the legitimacy of the horizontal dimension, as it has provided a favourable environment in which interculturalism can flourish. I conclude by highlighting the fact that the analysis of Barcelona helps to provide new meanings for the multi-level governance debate in diverse European cities

Consolidation (business · Corporate governance · Economics · Interculturalism · Legitimacy · Mainstreaming · Management · Multi-level governance · Multiculturalism · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Political Systems and Governance · Public Administration · Social Capital and Networks