Italy is often perceived as a transit rather than a destination country, relegating the challenges of asylum seekers and refugees (AS&Rs) to the background.
AS&Rs face compounded vulnerability—not only as migrants but also as individuals forced to flee armed conflicts, persecution, or other threats, often without family support at origin or destination. Their vulnerability remains high even in high-income countries, where a standardized Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) is lacking.
Aims of the project
• Develop a tailored theoretical framework (VAF) and a new quantitative measurement tool tested in Italy (VAFIT). This includes constructing a multidimensional VAF applicable to high-income countries, implementing a composite indicator (CI) to capture vulnerability dynamics, and testing it using newly collected data in Italy.
• Expand data availability on AS&Rs in Italy through the first national survey (ITRAS) covering 1,300 face-to-face interviews, around 100 in-depth interviews with older AS&Rs (50+), and digitalizing health records between 2014 and 2019 from the Crotone reception center.
• Analyze specific vulnerability aspects at the territorial level, including ageing AS&Rs in Lombardy (via qualitative interviews) and health vulnerabilities in the Crotone reception center by enhancing administrative databases.
• Improve knowledge of AS&Rs’ living conditions in Italy, focusing on health, legal status transitions, and labor market integration, with comparative insights from Germany and Austria.
This project will produce cutting-edge research and policy recommendations to enhance AS&Rs’ inclusion, improve access to healthcare and social services, and support labor market integration. Findings will inform policies addressing AS&Rs’ vulnerabilities, contributing to a more inclusive, socially just Europe.
Work packages
This project has three key objectives, articulated into three work packages.
Following the 2011 Syrian conflict, UN agencies developed a Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) to prioritize refugee interventions. However, this framework is unsuitable for high-income countries like Italy, where AS&Rs face challenges such as labor market integration, access to healthcare, and social isolation rather than food and water insecurity.
Work Package 1: Developing a New Vulnerability Assessment Framework
Aims
Develop a tailored VAF for high-income settings (VAFIT), incorporating expanded vulnerability domains beyond the UNHCR framework.
Consider interdependencies and synergistic effects among vulnerability dimensions.
Distinguish between actual and potential vulnerability, as well as individual and context-induced vulnerability.
Methods
The framework was developed through expert focus groups, ensuring rigorous validation. The composite indicator (CI) measures vulnerability across dimensions, integrating weighting and aggregation techniques. The CI’s applicability was tested using new data and refined through stakeholder discussions, including NGOs and government agencies.
Work Package 2: Enhancing Data on Refugees in Italy
Official statistics on AS&Rs in Italy are limited and difficult to access. While administrative data exists, it is often aggregated or restricted, making comprehensive analysis challenging. This project aims to fill this gap by generating individual-level data through:
Aims
Conduct the first Italian Refugees and Asylum-Seekers Survey (ITRAS), collecting data on vulnerability from a life-course perspective.
Conduct a qualitative study on aging AS&Rs (50+ years), focusing on health and well-being.
Digitize and analyze administrative health records from the Crotone reception center (2014-2019), linking them to demographic and socioeconomic data.
Methods
• ITRAS Survey: More than 1,327 face-to-face interviews with a questionnaire designed to measure several dimensions of vulnerability (see ITRAS page).
• Qualitative Study on Ageing Refugees: 100 in-depth interviews with AS&Rs aged 50+ in Lombardy, Italy’s most immigrant-populated region, to explore health, well-being, and access to services.
• Administrative Data Analysis: Data from the biggest reception center of the South of Italy (located in Crotone). Over 45,000 AS&Rs who arrived between 2008 and 2019. Demographic, economic, legal and health records to understand vulnerability factors.
Work Package 3: Increasing Knowledge on Refugee Conditions in Italy
Despite growing refugee populations, research on AS&Rs in Italy remains fragmented. This project will advance knowledge in two key areas:
Aims
Examine health vulnerability, providing new insights into pre- and post-migration health conditions, access to healthcare, and protective factors.
Analyze AS&Rs’ transition between irregular and regular legal status, assessing the impact of policy changes, including the 2018 and 2020 legislative reforms.
Methods
• Comparative Perspective: Compare AS&Rs in Italy with those in Germany and Austria using propensity score matching to assess differences in health status, healthcare access, and integration policies across countries.
• Legal Status Trajectories: Analyze Eurostat data and ITRAS survey results to understand AS&Rs' legal transitions, focusing on rejection rates, appeal processes, and factors influencing successful asylum claims.
