Migration Governance in Central and Eastern European Cities Post-2015

This open-access book provides a thorough overview of migration trends and governance in Central and Eastern European (CEE) cities since 2015. For decades, CEE cities were primarily shaped by emigration. However, more than a decade of unprecedented change—from the 2015 European refugee reception crisis to the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, which triggered the largest forced displacement in Europe since World War II—has transformed the region into one of Europe’s most dynamic new immigrant destinations. This volume offers the first comprehensive account of how nine diverse CEE cities across Poland, Czechia, Hungary, and Romania are navigating this new reality. Moving beyond traditional Western-centric models, the book explores the ‘local turn’ in migration studies through the experiences of capital cities such as Warsaw, Prague, and Budapest. It also examines rapidly diversifying second-tier cities like Kraków and Brno, as well as border and shrinking cities including Lublin, Oradea, Płock, and Łomża. Readers are introduced to the innovative CEE Local Migrant Governance Index (CEELMiG), a novel tool designed to measure and compare local policies across CEE cities—capturing integration strategies, coordination mechanisms, migrant participation, research on diversity, and the funding schemes of inclusive measures. From ‘mainstreaming by accident’ to the rise of grassroots solidarity, the book highlights how local administrators, activists, and residents are bridging service gaps and redefining urban citizenship in contexts marked by crisis and illiberal pressures. Migration Governance in CEE Cities Post-2015 is essential reading for scholars and students across disciplines, as well as for policymakers, urban planners, migration practitioners, and anyone interested in how cities respond to—and shape—evolving migration dynamics in Europe.

Karolina Łukasiewicz is a sociologist and an assistant professor, Marie Sklodowska-Curie Alumnus, at the Centre of Migration Research, a co-chair of the Laboratory of Urban and Regional Migration Policies at the University of Warsaw, and a lecturer at New York University. Her research is focused on immigrant integration and poverty policies in urban contexts. She has studied various aspects of these policies in European and American cities for over 20 years, using qualitative and quantitative research methods. Her articles were published in journals such as the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, International Migration, City and Community, Polish American Studies, and Journal of Family Issues. Karolina has been a PI on multiple research projects, funded by the European Commission, the National Science Center, and national and local administrations and foundations across Europe and North America.

Marta Pachocka – PhD, economist and political scientist. Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Studies, Institute of International Studies, SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Co-coordinator of the Laboratory of Urban and Regional Migration Policies and the Humanitarian Observatory for Central and Eastern Europe at the Centre of Migration Research of the University of Warsaw. She supports the European Commission Representation in Poland as an EU expert member of the Team Europe Direct Poland network. Vice-president of the Polish European Community Studies Association; Co-chair of the Research Section “Migration Processes and Migration Governance” of the Polish Association of European Studie; Secretary of the Board of the Research Committee RC46 “Migration and Citizenship” of the International Political Science Association; Member of the Executive Committee of the Metropolis International Migration Network. Co-editor of the “Mobility & Politics” book series (Springer Nature/ Palgrave MacMillan). Marta has considerable experience as both a coordinator and team member in multiple projects (co-)funded by Polish institutions and the EU (Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, LLP, Erasmus+, Creative Europe). Her research interests include multilevel migration governance, and asylum, reception, integration and migration policies in the EU and Poland.

Michał Nowosielski is a sociologist, director of the Institute for Western Affairs in Poznań, professor at WSB University in Gdańsk, and an affiliated researcher at the Centre of Migration Research at the University of Warsaw. He is also a member of the IMISCOE Standing Committee DIVCULT. His academic interests focus on migration issues, particularly immigrant organisations, culture and migration, diaspora policies, and migrants’ inclusion in an urban context. Michał’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as International Migration, Globalisation, Societies and Education, Central and Eastern European Migration Review, and Polish American Studies, as well as in monographs and chapters in edited volumes. He has led numerous research projects funded by Polish and international sources.