Co-creating narratives about migration

Abstract

In recent years, the EU and its member states have perceived migration as a significant challenge, leading policymakers to adopt prediction and control strategies that fail to consider the nature of migratory patterns (PACES Consortium, 2022). Research on migratory patterns in social science is extensive but not widely used in policy development, highlighting a significant gap between scholarly discussions and their impact on policymaking. PACES is a research project aiming to bridge the gap between social science research on migration patterns and policy development in the migration sector. In doing so, PACES aims to involve multiple participants in discussions about migration policies, as it appears that the lack of citizen involvement is a factor contributing to the inefficiency of migration policy. This project’s goal is to help PACES empower citizens and promote dialogues to create more informed opinions. The objective of this thesis is to facilitate a two-way information exchange between PACES and native citizens. PACES provides scientific knowledge on migration and policies, while citizens contribute their perspectives. The aim is to foster evidence-based opinions among citizens to achieve greater engagement and participation in in the public debate. To approach this objective, an analysis of the context of the public debate on migration was initiated, and system mapping was used to better define the stakeholders and dynamics between them. This analysis highlighted the lack of a direct connection between the world of research and citizens, who struggle to form opinions based on evidence, as the knowledge they receive is often shaped by political and media narratives. To better understand this distance, a smaller group of citizens was selected, specifically Italian emerging adults, to explore their perception of the public debate and their experiences in staying informed. Subsequently, a group of experts in the field of migration was consulted to understand their perception of the role of research and expert knowledge in the debate. The empirical exploration revealed that both experts and Italian emerging adults agree on the need to shift the way migration is portrayed in the debate, but they also agreed on the presence of a gap between research and citizens. To bridge this gap and support Italian emerging adults in forming opinions on migration based on scientific knowledge, this thesis developed a workshop that PACES could use to “co-create narratives about migration” with Italian emerging adults. In this workshop, knowledge is shared by focusing on different perspectives on a chosen topic and assisting Italian emerging adults in developing their own point of view and reworking it into new narratives to share with their peers The results of the workshop include an increase in the participants’ awareness of migration patterns and information that can help PACES in further research development that takes into account the point of view of native citizens. These results become the basis for initiating dialogues about alternative migration policies with policymakers, representing the perspectives of citizens on migration matters developed from scientific knowledge. The workshop can be further developed in the future to reach a broader audience and increase participation in the discourse on migration policymaking. In conclusion, the value of this project lies in its representation of the public debate, providing a simplified yet complex representation of the debate while placing citizens at the center. It also offers a strategy that PACES can scale further to lay the groundwork for a more open discussion on migration policy based on expert knowledge and resilience to social changes.