How an Interdisciplinary Approach to Narrative Can Support Policymaking on Migration and Integration at the City Level

• Published date: 01 September 2021
• Author: Jacqueline Broadhead
• DOI: 10.1177/00027162211057493
• Date: 01 September 2021

ANNALS, AAPSS, 697, September 2021 207

DOI: 10.1177/00027162211057493

How an

Interdisciplinary

Approach to

Narrative Can

Support

Policymaking on

Migration and

Integration at

the City Level

By

JACQUELINE BROADHEAD

1057493ANN THE ANNALS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMYPOLICYMAKING AND AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO NARRATIVE

research-article2021

Narrative change and strategic communications are

attractive tools for city officials setting policy for inte-

gration and migration. These tools allow for the con-

struction and development of shared stories of

place-based identity and belonging. Stories about

migration often focus on (border) control, the value of

the contribution of migrants, and the need for compas-

sion. However, these frames of compassion and control

are often oppositional: they can alienate rather than

persuade, and they can neglect constituents whose

views do not align with the polarities. They also elide

other narrative frames, which may appeal to broader

groups, particularly those focused on integration and

belonging. This article analyzes three cities’ attempts at

narrative change strategies that complexify migration

narratives with place-based narratives of inclusion.

From these case studies, this article identifies practical

implications for local policy-makers and sets an inter-

disciplinary agenda for future research.

Keywords: integration; local government; narrative;

cognition; place shaping; cities

Narrative change has emerged as an impor-

tant topic among policy-makers working

on migration and integration, including at the

city level. As they attempt to identify, develop,

and implement shared stories of place-based

identity and belonging, policy-makers and poli-

ticians are engaging in complex processes of

evaluating different, often opposing, narrative

frames and their efficacy as tools for policymak-

ing and implementation.

This article critically reviews the relevant

evidence that might help in the development of

Jacqueline Broadhead is director of the Global Exchange

on Migration and Diversity, part of the Centre on

Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) at the

University of Oxford. Her research interests include

integration policy, migration governance at the local

level, knowledge exchange, and narratives of inclusion.

Correspondence: Jacqueline.broadhead@compas.ox

.ac.uk