The Diversity Value. How to Reinvent the European Approach to Immigration

The European approach to immigration is traditionally characterized by a sort of “schizophrenia”, generated by the attempt to keep together two contradictory philosophies: the “economicistic” philosophy on which the system of entry (and stay) is regulated and the philosophy of solidarity and equal opportunities. To overcome this paradox, three major changes are necessary, which constitute the challenges addressed by the DIVERSE – Diversity Improvement as a Viable Enrichment Resource for Society and Economy – project, conducted in 10 European countries and whose results are presented in the volume: shifting from the perception of migrants as contingently instrumental resources to the conception of their human capital as a structural resource for the economic and social development of European societies; promoting a wider awareness, among different types of organizations (profit, non-profit and public), of the importance and potentialities of Diversity Management strategies; improving the social participation and the civic and voluntary engagement of Third Country Nationals in view of the construction of an inclusive European society and in order to change the common perception of immigrants as people needing to be helped and assisted. Finally, it is only through the active involvement of different stakeholders and the implementation of different types of actions that it will be possible to achieve the ambition of “reinventing” the European approach to immigration, to overcome the European historical paradox and benefit from the “Diversity Value”.