From the "Return Migrant" to the "Cooperating Migrant": The Linking Social Capital in the Innovative “Circular Cooperation” Model.
From the "Return Migrant" to the "Cooperating Migrant": The Linking Social Capital in the Innovative “Circular Cooperation” Model.
Tuesday, 8 July 2025: 15:12
Location: SJES027 (Faculty of Legal, Economic, and Social Sciences (JES))
Oral Presentation
Return migration forces protagonists to face reintegration challenges: returnees are often considered by local communities as carriers of resources and acquired skills, but also as sources of economic support. In this context, movements, associations and NGOs play an important role in fostering positive reintegration by offering socio-economic support and promoting local development projects in which returnees themselves are active protagonists.
One of their main strengths is the ‘know-how’ acquired in the destination countries, which can be translated into entrepreneurial skills and technical expertise useful for the countries of origin. In this context, however, the economic pressure exerted by families and communities can be a significant weak point: many returnees find themselves ‘assailed’ by family expectations for financial support, which often lead to a rapid erosion of savings and hinder the start-up of productive activities.
Organisations operating in this field, therefore, work on several levels: economic support, management of social expectations and defence of migrants' rights.
Against this backdrop, our contribution aims to present the "circular cooperation" model promoted by the Don Bosco 2000 Association (Italy), an innovative strategy designed to support returning migrants in coping with the difficulties of return: it allows migrants to return temporarily to their countries of origin, guaranteeing continuous training and skills acquisition, without severing their ties with the destination countries.
The Association's experience shows that it is essential that the associations' role is limited to the “initial phase” of accompaniment and technical support, leaving the “ownership of initiatives” - in particular, management ownership - to the return migrants themselves.
This model, by leveraging the development of linking social capital, reduces economic pressure and enhances the return as an opportunity for growth and exchange for both communities involved.
One of their main strengths is the ‘know-how’ acquired in the destination countries, which can be translated into entrepreneurial skills and technical expertise useful for the countries of origin. In this context, however, the economic pressure exerted by families and communities can be a significant weak point: many returnees find themselves ‘assailed’ by family expectations for financial support, which often lead to a rapid erosion of savings and hinder the start-up of productive activities.
Organisations operating in this field, therefore, work on several levels: economic support, management of social expectations and defence of migrants' rights.
Against this backdrop, our contribution aims to present the "circular cooperation" model promoted by the Don Bosco 2000 Association (Italy), an innovative strategy designed to support returning migrants in coping with the difficulties of return: it allows migrants to return temporarily to their countries of origin, guaranteeing continuous training and skills acquisition, without severing their ties with the destination countries.
The Association's experience shows that it is essential that the associations' role is limited to the “initial phase” of accompaniment and technical support, leaving the “ownership of initiatives” - in particular, management ownership - to the return migrants themselves.
This model, by leveraging the development of linking social capital, reduces economic pressure and enhances the return as an opportunity for growth and exchange for both communities involved.