Marie Laure Mallet

The purpose of this project is to determine the role of social services on the integration of Latino immigrants in  Madrid, Spain and New York, United States. The project seeks to understand:

(i) how immigrants obtain information about local and national social assistance programs, such as health care programs, housing assistance or food stamps

(ii) how access to and the use of these programs help or hinder their integration into the host society (iii) how their experiences vary across countries

This research is based on an original approach based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with Latino immigrants in four countries. This project offers an innovative perspective on the relations between social services (and social service providers) and recipients of these services. Contrary to most studies which focus on the experiences of social workers while minimizing those of immigrants, this project focuses on the experiences of immigrants. The uniqueness of this research also lies in the fact that it comparatively examines the policies put in place by countries offering different social benefits and categorized as different Welfare States. The goal is to create models which would apply to broader contexts and therefore allow for the replication of the findings in different contexts. 

The project addresses larger sociological, political and legal issues related to identity formation, immigrant integration and the role of public policies in shaping these processes. These issues are central in the current context of our Western societies. The aim is to bridge the gap between policy design, policy implementation and the practical effects of such policies. The transferability of the results thereof will offer stepping stone to improve our understanding of the complexities of immigrant integration into the host society across different countries, thereby advancing knowledge on Migration Studies at the French, European and International levels.