Migration, Family and Households
Mandatory Readings 2023/2024
Contents
Preparation for lecture 1 ‘A life course approach to migration’ .......................................................... 2
Lecture 2 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 4
Lecture 3 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 6
Lecture 4 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 8
Lecture 5 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 9
Lecture 6 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 11
Lecture 7 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 13
Lecture 8 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 16
Lecture 9 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 17
Lecture 10 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 19
Lecture 11 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 22
Lecture 12 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 25
Lecture 13 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 30
Lecture 14 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 32
1
,Preparation for lecture 1 ‘A life course approach to migration’
Please prepare an answer to the following questions about the Bernard & Perales reading:
How do Bernard & Perales define migration?
Continuum of population movement.
Conceptual; intra-regional moves, element of distance, you have to cross a boundary.
Empirical; international = change in country of residence in certain time period, internal =
change in region of residence.
How do they measure it?
Using multinomial random-effect logistic regression models at the micro-level.
What are their main theoretical arguments about migration?
Aspirational capability approach. Maximize opportunities. Page 60.
Which elements of the life-course approach to migration do they employ? (see Data &
Methods section)
Start work, career and partnership trajectories, triggers for moving.
More general, for in-class discussion led by the teacher (use the Bernard & Perales reading as
background):
What arguments do you have for the statement that internal and international migration are
fundamentally the same?
Both change in residence location, with similar causes/motivations.
What arguments do you have for the statement that internal and international migration are
fundamentally different?
War, (climate) refugees, international laws.
Institutional differences; borders, visas etc. If these were non-existent it would be more the
same.
➔ You can try to explain internal and international migration for the same factors, which
is uncommon. Look at both sides simultaneously, which is hardly done, bridges a gap.
Rare but useful.
Sample; strange for international migration, look at participants pasts. Very select sample,
can’t look into migration in that countries, not very explicit. Not refugees, only limited set of
migrants from certain times.
LCA discussed in methods instead of background section.
2
,Noteworthy / significant:
• Bridges a gap between two bodies of literature (on internal and international migration)
Strengths:
• Empirical investigation of internal and international migration at the same time
• Application of life-course approach to international migration
Weaknesses:
• Sampling frame
• Implicit about limitation to specific type of international migration (between 13 European
countries)
• No other geographical variables than urbanity
Other comments:
• Life-course approach discussed in Data & Methods
3
, Lecture 2 Readings
Migration and Immigrants in Europe: A Historical and Demographic Perspective
Christof Van Mol and Helga de Valk
Three main periods can be distinguished from this point onwards. The first, up to the oil crisis in
1973–1974, was characterized by steady economic growth and development and deployment of
guest worker schemes, (return) migration from former colonies to motherlands, and refugee
migration, mainly dominated by movements from East to West. The second period started with the
oil crisis and ended with the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. During this time North-Western
European governments increasingly restricted migration, and migrants’ main route of entrance
became family reunification and family formation. Furthermore, asylum applications increased. By
the end of this period, migration flows had started to divert towards former emigration countries in
Southern Europe. The third period is from the fall of the Iron Curtain until today, with increasing
European Union (EU) influence and control of migration from third countries into the EU and
encouragement of intra-European mobility.
Statistical data on migration and mobility in Europe is mostly incomplete, as they are based mainly on
reports and registrations of the individuals concerned. Besides, data on immigration and emigration
are not always fully available and are not consistently measured across countries and time. This
means that the quality of migration data is often limited.
It is important to bear these different periods in mind when studying current migration flows in
Europe. They help to frame but also for analysing the (demographic) behaviour of migrant
populations. The distinguished periods may help us to structure and understand the socio-
demographic situations which migrants face today. In addition, this distinction into different periods
enables us to appreciate the current and ongoing political and public debates on migration in Europe.
4
Mandatory Readings 2023/2024
Contents
Preparation for lecture 1 ‘A life course approach to migration’ .......................................................... 2
Lecture 2 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 4
Lecture 3 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 6
Lecture 4 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 8
Lecture 5 Readings .............................................................................................................................. 9
Lecture 6 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 11
Lecture 7 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 13
Lecture 8 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 16
Lecture 9 Readings ............................................................................................................................ 17
Lecture 10 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 19
Lecture 11 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 22
Lecture 12 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 25
Lecture 13 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 30
Lecture 14 Readings .......................................................................................................................... 32
1
,Preparation for lecture 1 ‘A life course approach to migration’
Please prepare an answer to the following questions about the Bernard & Perales reading:
How do Bernard & Perales define migration?
Continuum of population movement.
Conceptual; intra-regional moves, element of distance, you have to cross a boundary.
Empirical; international = change in country of residence in certain time period, internal =
change in region of residence.
How do they measure it?
Using multinomial random-effect logistic regression models at the micro-level.
What are their main theoretical arguments about migration?
Aspirational capability approach. Maximize opportunities. Page 60.
Which elements of the life-course approach to migration do they employ? (see Data &
Methods section)
Start work, career and partnership trajectories, triggers for moving.
More general, for in-class discussion led by the teacher (use the Bernard & Perales reading as
background):
What arguments do you have for the statement that internal and international migration are
fundamentally the same?
Both change in residence location, with similar causes/motivations.
What arguments do you have for the statement that internal and international migration are
fundamentally different?
War, (climate) refugees, international laws.
Institutional differences; borders, visas etc. If these were non-existent it would be more the
same.
➔ You can try to explain internal and international migration for the same factors, which
is uncommon. Look at both sides simultaneously, which is hardly done, bridges a gap.
Rare but useful.
Sample; strange for international migration, look at participants pasts. Very select sample,
can’t look into migration in that countries, not very explicit. Not refugees, only limited set of
migrants from certain times.
LCA discussed in methods instead of background section.
2
,Noteworthy / significant:
• Bridges a gap between two bodies of literature (on internal and international migration)
Strengths:
• Empirical investigation of internal and international migration at the same time
• Application of life-course approach to international migration
Weaknesses:
• Sampling frame
• Implicit about limitation to specific type of international migration (between 13 European
countries)
• No other geographical variables than urbanity
Other comments:
• Life-course approach discussed in Data & Methods
3
, Lecture 2 Readings
Migration and Immigrants in Europe: A Historical and Demographic Perspective
Christof Van Mol and Helga de Valk
Three main periods can be distinguished from this point onwards. The first, up to the oil crisis in
1973–1974, was characterized by steady economic growth and development and deployment of
guest worker schemes, (return) migration from former colonies to motherlands, and refugee
migration, mainly dominated by movements from East to West. The second period started with the
oil crisis and ended with the fall of the Iron Curtain in the late 1980s. During this time North-Western
European governments increasingly restricted migration, and migrants’ main route of entrance
became family reunification and family formation. Furthermore, asylum applications increased. By
the end of this period, migration flows had started to divert towards former emigration countries in
Southern Europe. The third period is from the fall of the Iron Curtain until today, with increasing
European Union (EU) influence and control of migration from third countries into the EU and
encouragement of intra-European mobility.
Statistical data on migration and mobility in Europe is mostly incomplete, as they are based mainly on
reports and registrations of the individuals concerned. Besides, data on immigration and emigration
are not always fully available and are not consistently measured across countries and time. This
means that the quality of migration data is often limited.
It is important to bear these different periods in mind when studying current migration flows in
Europe. They help to frame but also for analysing the (demographic) behaviour of migrant
populations. The distinguished periods may help us to structure and understand the socio-
demographic situations which migrants face today. In addition, this distinction into different periods
enables us to appreciate the current and ongoing political and public debates on migration in Europe.
4
