The governance of policies for the integration of immigrant citizens in Tuscany

The chapter analyses the particularities of the governance of immigrant integration policies in the Tuscan regional context. In order to contextualise this experience, we look at the main national regulatory measures that have made regional governments relevant in the implementation of this policy area, in an environment where the growing tension between the State and the regional councils has been a defining feature since the mid-2000s. Through an analysis of Regional Law no. 29/2009 "Norme per l'accoglienza, l'integrazione partecipe e la tutela dei cittadini stranieri nella Regione Toscana" (Rules for the reception, participatory integration and protection of foreign citizens in the region), the basic principles of the proposed integration model and the characteristics of territorial governance are explained. The provisions of Law no. 29/2009 are analysed in detail, with specific reference to the following areas of intervention: orientation to services in the territory; social and health integration; labour integration; teaching of Italian as a second language; housing integration and cultural pluralism. A number of projects recently promoted by the Region of Tuscany are also examined, which, by giving substance to the same provisions, stand out for their innovative character in the fields of socio-health integration, employment, housing, training and, more generally, the intercultural dimension. Finally, the paper summarises the main aspects that characterise the governance of the Region of Tuscany in the context of the "conflictual decentralisation" that characterises immigrant integration policies in Italy.