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IMISCOE Newletter Volume 3, No. 2, August 2006

The IMISCOE Newsletter, produced by the IMISCOE Network Office, focuses on news, publications and other activities of the network that are of interest to a wider audience. It appears 4 times a year.

In this issue:

 

Looking back: IMISCOE’s second year
by the scientific coordinator Rinus Penninx photorinuspenninx

In the first week of August 2006 the Second Activity and Management Report of IMISCOE was delivered to the European Commission. In this document we look back on our second year (covering the period 1 April 2005-31 March 2006) and report on the main achievements and the obstacles that we encountered. In the first year of IMISCOE we made a flying start, building a strong network of nineteen major research institutes and their individual researchers. In our second year we were able to focus more on external communication, building partnerships with other networks and organisations, developing more cross cluster initiatives and addressing new migration related themes. Examples of these new efforts are our online library and publication programme through which the first 10 titles will be launched in September 2006, our partnerships with the King Baudouin Foundation and the European Urban Knowledge Network and workshops organised by IMISCOE members on topics like Alternative migration policies and Irregular migration. The latter example focuses on both sending and receiving countries and thereby also includes members from non-EU countries in the network.
The network has been further strengthened by including more members of IMISCOE partners and by establishing both individual associated membership and institutional associated membership. IMISCOE now consists of 22 institutes and more than 450 members! It is envisaged that more partners, specifically from Central and Eastern Europe and Northern Africa, will join the network through either associated membership or cooperation in workshops and conferences.
Being in our second year, continuity of the network becomes more important. We have to plan now to have a structure in place at the end of the funding period (April 2009). Discussion on continuity has started within the Board meetings since April 2006. In this discussion of the present and future of the network we always have to ask ourselves how we can balance between being open and extending our coverage in terms of regions, disciplines and expertise, and at the same time guard the manageability of the network. This remains a challenge for the years to come.

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New research

IMISCOE members are organised into research clusters that flow from the three main IMISCOE themes: migration, integration and social cohesion. In these clusters members are joining forces to initiate new research. In the IMISCOE Newsletter we highlight a few of these initiatives.

  • The RTN (Research Training Network)-proposal The integration of the European second generation (TIES), a cooperation between the international research project TIES and IMISCOE. TIES investigates `second generation’ migrants in eight European countries, specifically the descendants of immigrants from Turkey, Ex-Yugoslavia, and Morocco. Topics of integration (be it economic, social, educational, or in terms of identity) are at the centre of the research. The main objective of TIES is to create the first systematic and rigorous European dataset of more than 10,000 respondents in fifteen European cities. Coordinated by INED, the French National Institute for Demographic Studies, the training network will involve twelve other research institutes and universities. Most of the partners are centres of expertise on migration, and nine of the twelve are members of the IMISCOE network. Twelve early-stage researchers and two experienced researchers from different disciplinary backgrounds will be familiarised with cutting-edge methodological and conceptual approaches in migration and ethnic studies and explore the international data-set of the TIES project. For more information on this specific project and the upcoming doctoral and post-doctoral positions click here. For more information on the TIES network click here.
  • Integration of migrants and the role of local authorities, funded by the European Foundation. Five IMISCOE-partners (EFMS, COMPAS, CEDEM, IMES and the Austrian Academy) will evaluate local policies in some 30 European cities in close collaboration with city authorities during the period 2006-2009. The focus will be on the effect of these policies on integration processes. For more info click here.
  • IMISCOE/IOM European survey on migration and health.
    Within IMISCOE, a group of researchers working in the field of Migration and Health has been set up. This group is currently engaged in a Europe-wide survey being carried out in close collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). This survey is the first major all-round study on the health of migrants and minorities in Europe. It will present an accessible overview of existing knowledge about migrants’ state of health, the factors influencing this, the quality and accessibility of health care provisions for these groups, and the efforts being made to tackle problems in this area. As such it will shed light on theoretical issues and suggest priorities for research and policy agendas. For more information click here.

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IMISCOE-Publications

The IMISCOE Editorial Committee, in cooperation with the Amsterdam University Press (AUP) has developed a publication programme on three levels: the online library, working papers published at the IMISCOE website and the AUP-IMISCOE Book Series (containing five specific series: Joint Studies; Research; Reports; Dissertations; Text books).

 

IMISCOE-AUP Book Series

The first titles in the IMISCOE-AUP Book Series will be officially launched in September 2006 at the Third Annual IMISCOE Conference. Information how to order these publications can be found here or by following the links of the titles.

IMISCOE Joint Studies consists of publications resulting from joint initiatives of IMISCOE members and targets a broad audience, including policymakers:

IMISCOE Research consists of publications resulting from research of individual IMISCOE members such as research monographs and edited volumes:

In the IMISCOE Reports collections of working papers, conference proceedings and annual reports from the IMISCOE Network are published.

IMISCOE Dissertations consists of PhD theses from IMISCOE member institutions

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Working Papers

Working Papers are the products of ongoing work by IMISCOE members. They may range from State of the Art Reports (SoARs) on worldwide research within a particular domain to more specific products of ongoing work. The following new Working Papers are now available:

A complete overview of all Working Papers can be found here

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Policy nexus

While it is clear that the themes covered within IMISCOE are very relevant to policymakers, we recognize that they have little time to read lengthy reports and publications. By using policy briefs and organising policy oriented workshops we hope to bring IMISCOE research to the attention of policy makers:

New Policy Brief

  • Jandl, M. (2006) Innovative concepts for alternative migration policies. IMISCOE Policy Brief, Amsterdam: IMISCOE.
    This policy brief is based on a workshop on alternative migration policies and is directed at researchers and policy makers at all levels. The first section identifies common themes and principles in the design of alternative migration policies that ran across the eleven proposals presented at the workshop. The second section provides a short overview on the cutting-edge thinking presented by the participants. A longer workshop report is published under WorkingPapers/Conference Reports at the IMISCOE website.

All policy briefs can be found here.

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Policy workshops

  • At the invitation of the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund (UNDP/UNPF) IMISCOE partner CEFMR (Central European Forum for Migration Research) conducted a course on migration policies in Kazakhstan for local senior civil servants, employees of international organisations, NGOs, and experts in migration policies. The course consisted of two 24-hour blocks, of which the first was devoted to sociological and political aspects of population flows and ethnic migration, while the second covered issues of economic migration from a demographic and geographical perspective.
  • Citizenship policies and nationality legislation – A need for common standards? Policy workshop, Vienna, September 2006
    This policy workshop stems from the project NATAC (The Acquisition and Loss of Nationality in EU Member States), funded by the 6th EU framework programme, that compares nationality laws and their implementation in the 15 original member states of the European Union. All of these member states have received substantial immigration. Many are also traditional countries of emigration that attempt to retain legal, political and cultural ties with their expatriates. Meanwhile most new member states also receive a substantial number of immigrants. The project’s main recommendation is that, although the EU has no direct legal influence in matters of nationality, it should initiate a process of open coordination in order to promote minimum standards and good practices in the area of citizenship and nationality legislation.  The workshop will bring together policy makers (high ranking civil servants in charge of citizenship policies) and experts from Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Switzerland and possibly other countries to discuss these issues relating to nationality legislation. The outcomes should be an updated version of the IMISCOE policy brief `The Acquisition and Loss of Nationality in Fifteen EU States. Results of the Comparative Project NATAC’ and a memo summarising the conclusions drawn from the policy workshop. The workshop is a joint initiative of IMISCOE partner EIF/ISR and FIERI.
  • Shaping research-policy strategies: national experiences , October 2006, Lisbon International Metropolis.
    Policy-relevant migration research is differentially shaped by a number of national contextual factors. These include funding regimes, theoretical orientations, shifting public opinion, and a range of issues which condition policy-maker receptivity. In this workshop, research leaders will comparatively reflect on policy-relevant research strategies within respective national contexts. This workshop is a joint IMISCOE-COMPAS initiative.
  • Getting it right: new design principles for innovative migration policies, October 2006, Lisbon, International Metropolis
    This workshop will present and discuss some of the most recent thinking on why and how current migration regimes should be redesigned to produce more efficient, equitable and sustainable outcomes. Participants will look for common ideas and principles in the design of proposed migration policy innovations and contrast these with the needs and concerns of practitioners. Participants are encouraged to read the Policy Brief and Conference Report of a preceding ICMPD/IMISCOE workshop before attending the session. This workshop is being organized by IMISCOE partner ICMPD.
  • Optimising international networks: carring out joint research activities and communicating results, October 2006, Lisbon, International Metropolis
    One key aim of international migration related networks is to communicate knowledge to policy makers and the general public. In this workshop we want to shed light on the various mechanisms that help and hinder this dialogue and also highlight the often crucial role of the media. The workshop should lead to a short document (policy brief) containing 1) ideas for fostering successful communication and 2) strategies to overcome communication obstacles between the defined groups. These insights into successful communication are intended to help the various actors to get their messages across to the benefit of others in and/or outside their respective networks. This workshop is a joint IMISCOE-King Baudouin Foundation initiative.

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Restyled IMISCOE Website

At the beginning of august 2006 we launched a restyled IMISCOE website. The site has been made more user-friendly. Information you can find on this restyled website is among others:

    • Separate pages on all nine IMISCOE research clusters and the three Feasibility Studies describing their work
    • Links to all IMISCOE partners
    • Information on IMISCOE related events
    • Full list of IMISCOE publications, the Newsletters and other downloads

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IMISCOE events

On September 4-6, 2006, the Third Annual IMISCOE Conference will be held in Vienna, Austria. The programme and content of this year’s conference have changed from previous years. The changes have been made in order to reflect the developments within the IMISCOE Network. This year’s conference will focus more on the content of our work, possible future research and the development of future research lines. The programme contains keynotes speeches, panel discussions (Immigration and Integration: A European Dilemma?) and cross-cluster and Feasibility Studies workshops. On Monday afternoon research clusters B3 and C9 will host the policy workshop on citizenship policies in Europe (see Policy workshops). At the end of the afternoon IMISCOE and the Amsterdam University Press (AUP) will host a book launch and reception to celebrate the first IMISCOE publications. Selected publications will be presented to Phil Martin and Dilek çinar. Although the conference is specifically for IMISCOE members, the next issue of the IMISCOE Newsletter will report in more detail on discussions and initiatives resulting from this conference and the research cluster workshops.

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News from IMISCOE partners

You can find links to the websites of all IMISCOE partners on the IMISCOE homepage: click here. Through these links you can find relevant information about our partners, their contact details, ongoing research projects and latest publications. As the IMISCOE Newsletter will only highlight selected events and research projects from our partners we encourage you to visit these homepages.

Projects

  • In January 2006 IMISCOE partner CEFMR launched a new project entitled: FEMAGE: Needs for Female Immigrants and their Integration in Ageing Societies (Project Manager: Marek Kupiszewski). This project is funded by the European Commission through the Sixth Framework Programme and executed by a research consortium led by the Bundesinstitut für Bevölkerungsforschung in Wiesbaden. The project addresses female third-country nationals residing in 8 EU countries (Germany, Austria, Finland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovenia and Estonia). It aims to record their experiences, needs, attitudes and expectations concerning immigration and integration policies and their practices and viewpoints regarding their own old age. The overall objectives are to generate knowledge about obstacles and needs regarding the economic and social integration and emancipation of migrant women and to formulate recommendations for key policy stakeholders, support policies and services regarding migrant women in an ageing Europe.

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Publications by IMISCOE members

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Subscribe

To subscribe or unsubscribe to the IMISCOE Newsletter, please contact Karen Kraal (Communication and Dissemination officer at the IMES): newsletter@imiscoe.org

 

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IMISCOE is a European Commission-funded Network of Excellence within the Sixth Framework