Co-Development: An Inclusive Development Potential or an Elitist Tool?

In 1996, Romero stated that to strengthen the development potential that immigration brings, co-development must be encouraged (Romero 1996, pp. 119-147). It is framed as an innovative alternative in the management of migrations, recognizing foreigners as agents of change in both their countries of origin and in those of arrival (Herrero 2000, p. 2). This idea develops within the context of European migration policies and highlights the importance of seeing immigrants as resources for development (Naïr 1997, p. 12), urging Italian policies to abandon an emergency approach and to undertake new strategies in which the state, civil society, the third sector, businesses, and universities actively collaborate. Co-development practices aim to translate the economic success of immigrants in host countries into development in their countries of origin (Herrero de Egaña Muñoz-Cobo 2000, p. 4); numerous examples show migrants who have arrived in Italy contributing to the development of their native communities through startups and knowledge transfers (Herrero de Egaña Muñoz-Cobo 2000). However, preliminary results from research on the integration of legally resident foreign citizens in Italy through social labs (Facchetti 2023, pp. 427-435) reveal a significant finding: co-development appears to be accessible only to migrants who have reached a certain level of integration in the host country, suggesting that co-development activities are for a select few. This would render co-development a strategy of elite cooperation. There would be a gap between the goals of migration policies developed at the institutional level and the actual capacities and needs of migrants. Given the increasing relevance of social justice in both the academic context and public debate, there is an urgent call for moral and political action to address and resolve social injustices.