<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>In Europe, the monitoring and management of migration flows are high on the political agenda. Evidence-based monitoring calls for adequate data, which do not exist. The sources of data on international migration differ significantly between countries in Europe and the initiatives to improve data collection and produce comparable data, including new legislation, did not yield the expected outcome. Scientists have developed statistical models that combine quantitative and qualitative data from different sources to derive at estimates of migration flows that account for differences in definition, undercoverage, undercount and other measurement problems. Official statisticians are reluctant to substitute estimates for measurements. This article reviews the progress made over the last decades and the challenges that remain. It concludes with several recommendations for better international migration data/estimates. They range from improved cooperation between actors to innovation in data collection and modelling.</p></abstract>

In Europe, the monitoring and management of migration flows are high on the political agenda. Evidence-based monitoring calls for adequate data, which do not exist. The sources of data on international migration differ significantly between countries in Europe and the initiatives to improve data collection and produce comparable data, including new legislation, did not yield the expected outcome. Scientists have developed statistical models that combine quantitative and qualitative data from different sources to derive at estimates of migration flows that account for differences in definition, undercoverage, undercount and other measurement problems. Official statisticians are reluctant to substitute estimates for measurements. This article reviews the progress made over the last decades and the challenges that remain. It concludes with several recommendations for better international migration data/estimates. They range from improved cooperation between actors to innovation in data collection and modelling.

Evidence-Based Monitoring of International Migration Flows in Europe

Journal of Official Statistics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Evidence-Based Monitoring of International Migration Flows in Europe"}

In Europe, the monitoring and management of migration flows are high on the political agenda. Evidence-based monitoring calls for adequate data, which do not...

Evidence-Based Monitoring of International Migration Flows in Europe

Published Online: Mar 26, 2019

Page range: 231 - 277

Received: Mar 01, 2017

Accepted: Mar 01, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jos-2019-0011

Keywords
Europe, international migration statistics, migration flow modelling

© 2019 Frans Willekens, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Evidence-Based Monitoring of International Migration Flows in Europe

Published Online: Mar 26, 2019

Page range: 231 - 277

Received: Mar 01, 2017

Accepted: Mar 01, 2018

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jos-2019-0011

KeywordsEurope, international migration statistics, migration flow modelling

© 2019 Frans Willekens, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Europe, international migration statistics, migration flow modelling