Fostering inclusion for refugees and migrants and building trust in the digital public space
Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy
ISSN: 1750-6166
Article publication date: 7 March 2023
Issue publication date: 30 October 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the benefits of co-creation methods when designing information and communications technology (ICT) solutions to aid migrant integration by outlining the process of co-creating an innovative platform with migrants, including asylum seekers and refugees, and non-governmental organisation representatives and public service providers.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used mixed methods and was divided into three stages. Researchers carried out an extensive literature review and case studies, whilst data were collected via surveys, focus groups and in-depth interviews.
Findings
The paper demonstrates that co-creation methods are essential in the development of ICT solutions for vulnerable groups like migrants, asylum seekers and refugees enabling researchers to counter the adverse effects of eurocentric bias by improving inclusiveness and trust in the platform vis-à-vis migrant users.
Originality/value
The research reflects on the development of an innovative platform, created and validated in situ with migrants and other end-users. It provides an often-unexplored analysis of the link between methodological approaches in ICT tools development (co-creation), and real-life impacts for migrants in terms of mitigating digital exclusion and white ethnocentric bias. The article complements two whitepapers and other policy briefs written on the results of this research that have informed EC policy-making in the area of migration, including the EU action plan on integration and inclusion 2021–2027.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the MIICT (ICT Enabled Public Services for Migration) consortium, and in particular all the participants for their commitment to the project and contributions to the research.
The authors would also like to thank the European Commission for financial support under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Coordination and Research and Innovation Action under Grant Agreement No 833870. The authors declare that the opinions expressed herewith are solely those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the point of view of any European Union institution.
Citation
Kuneva, L. and Hough, K.L. (2023), "Fostering inclusion for refugees and migrants and building trust in the digital public space", Transforming Government: People, Process and Policy, Vol. 17 No. 3, pp. 412-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/TG-10-2022-0137
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited