Anja Marcher, Researcher at the Center for Advanced Studies of Eurac Research recently contributed to the international conference “Global and Local Dimensions of Migration”, organized by the Institute of Linguo-Civilizational and Migration Processes (Russkiy Mir Foundation) and the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

In her keynote “The local dimension of forced migration – Labor integration of asylum seekers. A case study of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano (Italy)” Marcher discussed the impact of current distributions through the analysis of 2 rural mountain municipalities in the northeast Italian Alps in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, South Tyrol in which reception facilities for asylum seekers have been established. She provided empirical insights into the functioning of the reception system and governance in these communities. As Marcher pointed out, strong ties can be a major factor in supporting integration and facilitating access to the labour market. They do indeed seem to be indispensable for obtaining a job and facilitate integration during the asylum application process and improve social embeddedness. Volunteers make a significant contribution in this context.

The basis of her presentation, the study "Social and Labor Integration of Asylum Seekers in Rural Mountain Areas - A Qualitative Study", was first published together with Ingrid Kofler and Thomas Philipp Streifeneder in the Journal “Mountain Research and Development” and is available as open source HERE.