MIGFAM · International Migrant Families

The research proposal is called International migrant families. Its objective is to develop a comprehensive analysis of the short- and long-term demographic consequences of international migration on an individual’s life course and on developments and integration of international-migrant populations in Western European receiving countries. The project is designed to fill the gaps in knowledge about those factors that cause differences in demographic behavior of international migrants and to generate new scientific and policy-oriented knowledge on the family dynamics, living arrangements, and health-care needs of women and men in a multi-cultural context in Western Europe. I plan work on both “ends” of the life course in order to understand the different trajectories of individuals and the interrelation between the various events and passages. The objectives can be articulated as follows: 1) To analyze and to explain the demographic behavior of international migrant populations in Europe, in comparison to the indigenous populations and to each other. 2) To identify migrant-specific indicators of demographic behavior that can be used for further analysis and projections. 3) To link the different indicators and life domains of one individual to others in order to better understand population dynamics and change. 4) To identify the implications of the findings of this project for policy strategies that could facilitate the integration on international migrants. International migration and migrant integration have become more pressing topics in Western European countries following growing immigration flows in the past 60 years. The multi-disciplinary demographic research proposed can provide one of the key inputs for policy makers in the European countries with a well argued, scientifically based and objective discussion of the relationships between public policy, family trends, the challenges of population ageing and the quality of life of Europe’s citizens.