Glossary

Successful collaboration begins with a shared language, hence the need for a glossary. This joint effort of contributors from several teams ensures, on the one hand, terminological and conceptual coherence across not only our theoretical approaches, but also the qualitative case studies and quantitative research conducted in OPPORTUNITIES. On the other hand, our glossary facilitates communication between the academic side of the project and the fieldwork conducted by NGOs, uniting our teams working from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ghana, Italy, Mauritania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania and Senegal.

For more information about the Structure and Objectives of the Glossary, click here...)

Demographics of migration

We need to pay attention to the demographics of migration in order to be able to understand migration statistics which are the foundation of official rhetoric on migration. When using national or international statistics on migration, it is important to refer to and include the official definition of the term migration in any analysis of the data. In demographic terms, the concept of migration has two dimensions: a temporal and a spatial one. Migration is usually defined as the movement of individuals, households, or other groups of people from one geographic area to another (spatial dimension) that results in a change of residence either immediately or over a period of time (temporal dimension). According to the first revision of the UN’s Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration (1998) “an international migrant is defined as any person who changes his or her place of usual residence. A person’s country of usual residence is that in which a person lives, that is to say, a country in which a person has a place to live where he or she spends the daily period of rest […]. Note that temporary travel abroad for the purposes of recreation, business, medical treatment, etc., does not entail a change in the country of usual residence.” (9, §32) The ‘change of residence’ criterion applies to both internal and international migration. In national censuses the place of usual residence is used to mean the geographical place where the enumerated person usually resides.

⇢ see also Data, Data mining, Migration

References and further reading:

United Nations. 1998. Recommendations on Statistics of International Migration – Revision 1. New York, NY: Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Statistics Division.

Category: A, D

Work Package: 2, 4, 5, 8

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