City-based inclusion networks in a post-multicultural world: the Intercultural Cities programme of the council of Europe

Cities are increasingly important actors in the field of migration and integration policy, both in terms of the design and implementation of policy and via cities participation in larger international networks. In this text I will explore how one such network, the Council of Europe's Intercultural Cities programme(ICC), has evolved over its ten year history, not only in terms of membership and geographical coverage, but also in terms of its attempts to respond to changes in global political sensibilities. The analysis presented her attempts to understand how the participation of cities in international networks can have an impact on local dynamics of governance and on public policy. The analysis of city-based inclusion networks makes it possible to see not only the shifting dynamics of power between cities and states, but also the impact of international networks on cities' abilities to mobilise locally or subnationally.