The research project, funded by Compagnia di San Paolo, considered three administrative functions which stood out for their importance in terms of immigration and integration governance: 1) decision-making processes on the authorization for family reunification ; 2) decision-making processes to grant residence permits for subordinate work; 3) decision making processes on the renewal of residence permits. The study focused on two provinces (Torino and Alessandria) and on their respective police headquarters and prefectures, and was then extended to the province of Bologna through a collaboration with Instituto Cattaneo.