Associations of Immigrants in the Third Sector in Andalucía: Governance and Networking Issues

This article presents the findings of a research project on the internal and external governance of associations of immigrants
in Andalucía, Spain. It is divided into three descriptive, interpretative parts. The first lists and analyzes the sociocultural
motives behind initiatives for the formation of associations of immigrants, including initiatives related with the transnational
context, initiatives stemming from a sense of solidarity and altruism, and initiatives arising from the need to coexist with
and become integrated into the host society. The second part of the article focuses on the types of activities such associations
organize, their resources and their strategic management practices. The third part looks at the ways in which associations
are connected with the third sector in Andalucía, with particular reference to two dimensions of the issue, inter-association
relationships and community participation. The findings throw some light on the accountability, institutional support, and
networking needs of associations of immigrants. A series of suggestions is also presented concerning points generally linked
with the concept of associative governance, such as good management practices and the concept of participatory governance
as mechanisms for including civil society in policy and program design.