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Initiated in 1988 by the Grune (Green) faction of the Berlin Public Media Council as the programme 'for and about the city's immigrants', Radio MultiKulti has since come under the independent co-management of Berlin's major immigrant groups and has gained city-wide prestige and recognition as the 'alternative' source of cultural entertainment and political information. The paper examines the programmes of the Polish section of Radio MultiKulti in terms of recognition politics or claims for public recognition of Berlin's (and Germany's) de facto multiculturalism. The assessment of Polish Radio MultiKulti is based on the author's interviews with members of the editorial staff and the content analysis of the radio's programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the structure and strategies of Polish migrant entrepreneurship in Berlin in the 1990s, drawing on statistical data, in-depth interviews and a comparison to Turkish entrepreneurship in Berlin. Existing research on the entrepreneurial activity of migrants and ethnic minorities tends to focus on processes observed solely within specific places in the country of immigration. I argue that further insights into the dynamics of 'ethnic entrepreneurship' are enabled by introducing the concept of transnational social space to the 'mixed embeddedness' perspective on ethnic business. This approach may explain the early orientation towards an open and transnational market among Polish entrepreneurs in comparison to the more local orientation of the 'ethnic community' in the first period of Turkish entrepreneurship. Four main entrepreneurial strategies of migrants from Poland can be observed: first, utilising a high degree of personal mobility and the differences in purchasing power between Germany and Poland in cross-border trade; second, the recruitment of 'transnational workers'; third, referring to the 'Polish community' as a market; and fourth, opening branches in Poland of businesses initiated and based in Germany. These strategies point to the relevance of transnational social networks and mobility in the context of national and transnational market conditions and politico-institutional frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the role of agents in migrant networks in the domestic elderly care sector. It is based on a study of female migrants from Poland who work in the sector in Germany and Italy. Using evidence gathered from qualitative interviews, we illustrate the importance of ties other than friends, families and communities in the migration process, including actors such as employers and recruitment agents. We also show that agents—in contrast to intermediaries—are significant actors in migrant networks and can be regarded as perpetuators of migration within these networks. Furthermore, we conclude that the role of agents in migrant networks has been underestimated. Rather than simply helping to match labour supply with labour demand, agents appear to offer migrants social and emotional support as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]