Promoting Comparative Quantitative Research in the Field of Migration and Integration in Europe (PROMINSTAT)
With the Amsterdam Treaty and the increasing competence of the European Union in the field of migration, integration, anti-discrimination and asylum, the need for comparative data in this area has been increasingly recognised. Social scientists, on the other hand, have a much broader agenda for comparative research, which goes beyond the immediate needs of policy makers and requires much more sophisticated data as well as knowledge about datasets that might be used for comparative research purposes.
This project builds on the earlier COMPSTAT project carried out under the 5th Framework Programme between 2001-2002, the FP6 project "Towards harmonised European Statistics on International Migration" (THESIM), completed in 2005 as well as ongoing research within the IMISCOE network.
One of the main aims in the PROMINSTAT project is to build a comprehensive online database containing dataset descriptions of datasets relevant to the study of migration. In addition, the project will provide analyses of the national data collection system in each of the 27 countries. Finally, PROMINSTAT will provide a detailed analysis of the availability, comparability, and the usability of statistical data in 10 thematic areas (ranging from general demographics to housing, labour market, social conditions and political participation) as well as in two cross-cutting thematic fields (integration and discrimination). The main question of these studies will be what kind of research questions can be studied and what kind of statements can be made on the basis of available data and what gaps (in data collection) remain. A study on the data needs from a policy perspective and the interface between data providers, policy makers and research will complement these thematic studies.