Navigating Knowledge and Networks: The Role of Community Volunteers and Social Capital on Employment Rights Knowledge among Polish and Bulgarian Migrants in Rotterdam

This thesis investigates whether engagement with sleutelpersonen – active community figures <br /> connected to the municipality – affects the self-assessed knowledge of employment rights of <br /> Polish and Bulgarian labour migrants’ in Rotterdam. Awareness of such rights is often low <br /> among migrants, which contributes to vulnerability to labour exploitation. To address this, <br /> the municipality involved sleutelpersonen in outreach efforts. Using an explanatory <br /> sequential mixed-methods design, this study combines survey data (N = 108) with interviews <br /> among sleutelpersonen and practitioners. Quantitative results show no significant association between contact with <br /> sleutelpersonen and knowledge of employment rights. No moderating effect of bonding <br /> social capital was found. However, bonding social capital was strongly associated with <br /> knowledge of employment rights (β = 0.487, p < .001), which suggests the importance of <br /> close, trusting social ties. While Granovetter (1973) emphasised the informational value of <br /> weak ties, this study suggests strong ties may be more relevant for legal knowledge in recent <br /> migrant communities. Qualitative findings help explain the limited statistical effect of engagement with <br /> sleutelpersonen. Although brokerage theory highlights the potential of intermediaries to <br /> connect disconnected groups (Stovel et al., 2011), individual, relational and institutional <br /> obstacles to brokerage constrained their impact. Only a few sleutelpersonen acted as effective <br /> knowledge brokers, diffusing information through their networks and connecting migrants to <br /> formal help. Most lacked the time, networks, or organisational capacities to have broader <br /> impact. Their ambiguous role, diverging goals, limited contact with the municipality, and <br /> inconsistent institutional support further constrained their role in the spread of information. <br /> Their embedding in a welfare organisation rather than the municipality reduced their <br /> visibility and alignment with formal information flows. These findings suggest that strengthening bonding social capital within migrant <br /> communities may be more effective for improving rights knowledge than relying solely on <br /> community brokers. Still, sleutelpersonen may play a meaningful role in organising these <br /> activities and offering informal support. The study contributes to research on social capital <br /> and brokerage between migrants and institutions in local governance.