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Primary GCM Objectives

Secondary GCM Objectives

GCM Guiding Principles*

*All practices are to uphold the ten guiding principles of the GCM. This practice particularly exemplifies these listed principles.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Dates

2020 - 2023

Type of practice

Measuring/Data collection

Geographic scope

Regions:

Europe

Summary

The DEMIG-QuantMig Migration Policy Database tracks more than 7,600 migration policy changes enacted by 31 European (EU and non-EU) countries for the period 1990 to 2020. This database extends and updates the DEMIG POLICY database developed at the International Migration Institute (https://www.migrationinstitute.org/data/demig-data/demig-policy-1) and follows the same methodology. The policy measures are coded according to the policy area and migrant group targeted, as well as the change in restrictiveness they introduce in the existing legal system. The database allows for both quantitative and qualitative research on the long-term evolution and effectiveness of migration policies.

Credit for the development of the original DEMIG framework goes to the International Migration Institute, Professor Hein de Haas and his team. For methodological details, please see: H de Haas, K Natter and S Vezzoli (2015) Conceptualizing and measuring migration policy change. Comparative Migration Studies, 3: 15, DOI: 10.1186/s40878-015-0016-5.

Disclaimer: This practice has been funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 870299 QuantMig: Quantifying Migration Scenarios for Better Policy. This document reflects the authors' views and the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Organizations

Main Implementing Organization(s)

University of Continued Education Krems

Partner/Donor Organizations

University of Southampton

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

Max Planck Society – Population Europe

Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute

Peace Research Institute

University of Oslo

European Union

Benefit and Impact

The DEMIG-QuantMig policy database provides a vast number of updated, standardized, measurable policy indicators for Europe, accompanied by extensive metainformation, for free use and easy download via a user-friendly online interface. The dataset is fully compatible with the original DEMIG database in methodological and analytical terms (https://www.migrationinstitute.org/data/demig-data/demig-policy-1), while significantly increasing the size of the available collection, with of over 7,600 indicators of European migration policy changes in the period 1990–2020. The collection enables a comprehensive analysis of trends and patterns of migration policy changes and adjustments.

Key Lessons

Migration does not follow individual drivers, but complex driver environments, and the same holds for policies – those strictly aimed at influencing migration are just a small subset of all potentially migration-relevant policies adopted and implemented across different government departments. Responses to changes in migration trends and patterns should, therefore, include not only single migration policy interventions, but more comprehensive policy packages, including other migration-relevant public policies. The uncertainty of governance is compounding the problems in responding to migration challenges. The recent tendency across the EU has been to pivot towards policy status quo, as a safe option, and include incremental policy changes more often (‘incremental fine-tuning’). Changing configurations of migration drivers and policies affect numbers of migrants and ultimately lead to changing compositions of both emigrant and immigrant populations.

(After: White Paper on Migration Uncertainty, https://bit.ly/migration-uncertainty)

Recommendations(if the practice is to be replicated)

The spectrum of possible policy decisions needs to stretch beyond the status quo, assessing different types of action against the default option (status quo), and openly highlighting the need for preparedness and its trade-off against the costs and other options.

Policymakers should be aware that for host countries, periods of uncertainty in migration policy encourage foreign residents to leave and discourage would-be migrants from coming. Policy interventions on migration flows often produce unintended consequences and side effects. Policymakers must consider the impact that some instruments may have on policymaking processes in other realms and in proximate countries.

in setting policy objectives, different priorities across various areas of government need to be taken into account and openly reconciled. Migration policy needs to be driven by a particular purpose, and be accompanied by honest communication about uncertainty, to improve preparedness and the understanding of migration and its impacts. Policy solutions need to be future-proofed by design, with regular update points and forward-looking exercises becoming part of the ‘business as usual’ routine, to avoid pivoting towards status quo.

(After: White Paper on Migration Uncertainty, https://bit.ly/migration-uncertainty)

Innovation

The DEMIG-QuantMig Policy Database provides a thorough and comprehensive update of the original DEMIG database, offering unique material for a comprehensive and measurable analysis of trends and patterns in migration policy changes across Europe over three decades, 1990–2020. The implementation of the database is through a fully searchable online interface, with a possibility of using various queries of interest, depending on analytical needs. The underlying methodology is easily scalable and transferrable to other contexts, with natural avenues of future extensions potentially involving other regions of the world.

Additional Resources

Policy Database

Additional Images

Date submitted:

15 July 2024

Disclaimer: The content of this practice reflects the views of the implementers and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations, the United Nations Network on Migration, and its members.