Tagliacozzo, S., Pisacane, L. and Kilkey, M. orcid.org/0000-0002-0842-7290 (2020) The interplay between structural and systemic vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic : migrant agricultural workers in informal settlements in Southern Italy. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 47 (9). pp. 1903-1921. ISSN 1369-183X
Abstract
Migrants are at risk globally to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we focus on migrant agricultural workers in Capitanata, Apulia, Southern Italy. The concept of vulnerability provides our entry point. We distinguish between structural and systemic vulnerability to capture the interplay between the two during crisis situations. Structural vulnerability is limited to a certain system domain whereas systemic vulnerability has potential to create effects on a variety of interconnected systems. Informed by stakeholder interviews and documentary analysis, we elaborate a framework that accounts for how long-standing structural vulnerabilities have interacted with the COVID-19 crisis to produce adverse outcomes for migrant agricultural workers, while exposing the vulnerability of three linked systems – agricultural labour market, migration and asylum and healthcare. We take account, however, of pre-existing interventions which may mitigate the impact of systemic vulnerability and of the ‘policy window’ opened by cognisance of the possible systemic failures derived from the systemic vulnerability. While the article makes an early empirical contribution to understanding one group of migrants’ vulnerability during the pandemic and the ensuing governance responses, the analytical framework developed has applicability beyond this particular group of migrants and this particular crisis, and may provide a useful tool for further research.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an author-produced version of a paper subsequently published in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Vulnerability; informal settlements; COVID-19; migrant agricultural workers; disaster studies |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Sociological Studies (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 05 Jan 2021 08:33 |
Last Modified: | 29 Jun 2022 00:13 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Taylor & Francis |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1080/1369183x.2020.1857230 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169440 |