Summary:
A sociology research project will be presented that analyses the role of formal and informal support networks in the processes of welcoming and including refugees in Portugal and Spain, based on research already begun in the master's degree programme. It proposes to analyse how, in a context where the welfare state adopts a neoliberal model, there is an intentional transfer of responsibilities to the third sector and civil society with regard to the reception and inclusion of refugees, in areas such as access to housing, health, education/training, the (formal) labour market, services and belonging. Through a qualitative methodology - with analysis of secondary data from participant observation carried out for the master's thesis, interviews with refugees with recognised status and members of formal and informal support networks, taking into account their heterogeneity – the aim is to understand how these formal and informal support networks operate, what their impact is on inclusion processes and what inequalities result from their presence or absence. The project proposes a critical reflection on the externalisation of social protection and the consequences of inclusion based on informal and unequal social capital.