MPI | Transatlantic Council on Migration

PUBLICATIONS

	Regularizations in the European Union: The Contentious Policy Tool By Kate Brick Though contentious, regularization (typically referred to in the US context as legalization) remains a frequently utilized policy tool to address the European Union’s unauthorized immigrant population. Since 1996, over 5 million people have been regularized through a variety of methods, which this Insight details. This work informed the Transatlantic Council on Migration meeting, “Restoring Trust in the Management of Migration and Borders.” The resulting Council Statement, authored by MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, offers a menu of policy options and actions governments can take to build a “whole-of-system” approach to controlling illegal immigration while also creating the political space necessary for reforms of their immigration systems. Download Report \| Read Council Statement

	Irregular Migration in Europe By Christal Morehouse and Michael Blomfield While irregular migration frequently makes headlines and policymakers are under increasing pressure to reduce illegal immigration, the estimated population of unauthorized immigrants in EU-15 countries has declined on average for almost a decade since 2002. European governments are collaborating extensively on the management of their external borders, as this report details, discussing the detected and estimated scope of irregular migration in the European Union. This work informed the Transatlantic Council on Migration meeting, “Restoring Trust in the Management of Migration and Borders.” The resulting Council Statement, authored by MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, offers a menu of policy options and actions governments can take to build a “whole-of-system” approach to controlling illegal immigration while also creating the political space necessary for reforms of their immigration systems. Download Report \| Read Council Statement

	Improving the Governance of International Migration Contemporary states are ambivalent about the global governance of migration: They desire more of it because they know they cannot reach their goals by acting alone, but they fear the necessary compromise on terms they may not be able to control and regarding an issue that is politically charged. Currently, there is no formal, coherent, multilateral institutional framework governing the global flow of migrants. While most actors agree that greater international cooperation on migration is needed, there has been no persuasive analysis of what form this would take or of what greater global cooperation would aim to achieve. The purpose of this book, the Transatlantic Council on Migration's fifth volume, is to fill this analytical gap by focusing on a set of fundamental questions: What are the key steps to building a better, more cooperative system of governance? What are the goals that can be achieved through greater international cooperation? And, most fundamentally, who (or what) is to be governed? Purchase a Copy

	Migration and the Great Recession: The Transatlantic Experience Edited by Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Aaron Terrazas This edited volume addresses the impact of the economic crisis in seven major immigrant-receiving countries: the United States, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The Great Recession marked a sudden and dramatic interruption in international migration trends, bringing the growth of foreign-born populations to a virtual standstill in Europe and North America and pushing many policymakers to reevaluate their approach towards immigration. The crisis has had a disproportionate impact on immigrant workers, especially young immigrants and members of disadvantaged minority groups — impacts which, in some countries, show little sign of receding. Meanwhile, stringent deficit-reduction plans, especially in some of the worst affected European Member States, have created an inhospitable environment for addressing these impacts through investments in immigrant integration. Purchase a Copy \| Press Release

	Immigrant Integration in a Time of Austerity By Elizabeth Collett With austerity at the forefront of European government policy debates and rising debt levels sure to catalyze additional difficult public spending decisions, immigrant integration programs have been an early place for budget cuts in some countries. In this report, MPI European Policy Fellow Elizabeth Collett offers fresh analysis of how immigrant integration programs are faring in a number of EU countries: the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. While the economic and political climate offer some explanation for governments’ response, the report details how those factors alone are insufficient to explain countries’ differing approaches to immigrant integration programs. Download Report \| Press Release

	Migration and Immigrants Two Years after the Financial Collapse: Where Do We Stand? By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Aaron Terrazas with Carola Burkert, Stephen Loyal, and Ruth Ferrero-Turrión Immigrants, particularly men and youth, have been disproportionately hit by the global economic crisis that began in fall 2008 and now confront a reality of dwindling budgets for public services and immigrant integration programs, this report for BBC World Service reveals. The report, which has a particular focus on five North Atlantic countries -- Germany, Ireland, Spain, the United Kingdom and United States – finds that the unemployment gap between immigrant and native workers has widened in many places. It offers analysis of a number of trends, including the fact that some immigrant-destination countries that historically have been countries of emigration, such as Ireland, Greece, and Portugal, may be reverting to earlier trends. Download Report \| Press Release

	Political Rhetoric in the Netherlands in Times of Crisis By Maarten Hajer and Wytske Versteeg This paper examines the intersection of migration, integration, and security issues that have been rapidly and dramatically politicized in the Netherlands over the last decade and how politicians such as Geert Wilders and the media characterized events such as the murders of Pim Fortuyn and Theo Van Gogh as well as the release of the controversial film, Fitna. Download Report

	Securing Human Mobility in the Age of Risk: New Challenges for Travel, Migration, and Borders This new book makes the case that the nation's post-9/11 approach to immigration and border security is off-kilter and not keeping pace with the scope and complexity of people's movement around the world, nor with expectations regarding freedom of movement. Author Susan Ginsburg, who served as senior counsel and team leader on the staff of the 9/11 Commission, proposes a new paradigm that seeks to secure mobility and promote the rule of law in global migration channels while moving away from a system that too often conflates border and immigration enforcement with counterterrorism. Purchase a Copy \| Press Release

	The UK's New Europeans: Progress and Challenges Five Years After Accession The enlargement of the European Union has fundamentally changed migration patterns to the United Kingdom. An estimated 1.5 million workers have come to the United Kingdom from new EU Member States since May 2004, accounting for about half of all labor migration during that period. Though employment rates for these new European citizens are high, areas of concern remain because their wages are low and the workers, often despite significant education, are concentrated in unskilled labor sectors. This report, commissioned by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission, also concludes that the influx of workers may be having a slight negative impact on the wages of the lowest-paid British workers. Download Report

	Transatlantic Information Sharing: At a Crossroads By Hiroyuki Tanaka, Rocco Bellanova, Susan Ginsburg, and Paul De Hert The attempted Christmas Day attack on a US airliner has refocused interest on the data collected by governments on international travelers, and how information sharing can be used to prevent terrorism and secure travel if properly shared and analyzed. In the wake of 9/11, the United States and European Union worked out agreements to expand the sharing of personal information about international travelers as a means to prevent acts of terrorism and fight international crime. However, as this report explores, negotiations on a binding US-EU agreement that will govern the sharing of personal information for law enforcement purposes – while high on the transatlantic policy agenda – face significant challenges. Download Report \| Press Release

	Migration, Public Opinion and Politics This third book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, analyzes how media coverage, public opinion and political rhetoric can play an important role in advancing — or impeding — immigration policy reforms in Europe and the United States. The volume examines what publics across the Atlantic think about immigrants and immigration. It also asks: What effect does media coverage have on the prospects for changing the laws and practices that shape immigration and immigrant integration? And how should politicians and others who champion reform speak about immigration? To order a copy, click here.

COMPETING FOR TALENT
	Talent in the 21st Century Economy Council Convenor and MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Will Somerville, and Hiroyuki Tanaka examine how for a growing number of countries, attracting the "right" talent is at the top of the policy toolkit for increasing economic competitiveness. They outline how governments and employers view and access highly skilled talent and detail the decision-making factors weighed by highly skilled individuals as they decide where to migrate. Download report

	Hybrid Immigrant-Selection Systems: The Next Generation of Economic Migration Schemes Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Will Somerville, Hiroyuki Tanaka As governments think more seriously about attracting and selecting immigrants for their education, skills, and, increasingly, their ability to plug specific holes in the labor market, the authors discuss the emergence of hybrid systems that combine ideas drawn from points systems with other, more demand-driven and employer-led methods of selection. Download report

	The Growing Global Demand for Students as Skilled Migrants International student education is a large, growing, and lucrative industry in many developed countries. Students not only help to maintain domestic institutions' competitiveness, they also represent a valuable pool of skilled immigrants for governments wishing to recruit "tried and tested" individuals into their labor forces. As Lesleyanne Hawthorne details in this paper, it is not surprising, therefore, that Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries are innovating widely with policies to attract and retain international students. Download report

	Soft, Scarce, and Super Skills: Sourcing the Next Generation of Migrant Workers in Europe Elizabeth Collett and Fabian Zuleeg examine how the selection criteria that developed-country immigration systems widely use (particularly points systems and occupational "shortage lists") fail to capture three important skill groups: soft, scarce, and super. In this paper, the authors discuss key policy recommendations to improve governments' skilled-immigrant recruitment strategies. Download report

THE DEMOGRAPHIC REALITY
	The Demography of China and India: Effects on Migration to High-Income Countries Michael J. White and Inku Subedi of Brown University map the two countries' differing age structures and demographic trajectories through 2030, examining the working-age populations of China and India, particularly in the age group most likely to migrate. Download report

	Emerging Demographic Trends in Asia and the Pacific: The Implications for International Migration Graeme Hugo of the University of Adelaide explores how Asia's exponential growth of recent decades will not be sustained in the medium to long term amid declining fertility rates – and how Asian destination countries increasingly will be competing with OECD countries for skilled migrants from Asia and the Pacific. Download report

	Demographic Trends in Mexico: The Implications for Skilled Migration Elena Zúñiga of the Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Unidad de Estudios del Desarrollo and independent consultant Miguel Molina examine the growing flow of Mexican professionals heading to the United States – and how projections suggest the demand in Mexico for professionals could outstrip supply after 2025. Download report

	Charting the Demographic Course across the Mediterranean By Philippe Fargues This paper, prepared for the Transatlantic Council on Migration, examines the demographic future for the Middle East and North Africa through 2030 – and notes that the MENA region’s growing supply of young, educated workers is occurring against the backdrop of Europe’s aging population and below-replacement fertility. While at first sight it appears obvious that the MENA region will play a pivotal role in Europe’s hunt for skilled workers, the paper outlines that the European Union isn’t the sole destination for MENA migrants. Download report

	Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa: The Most Demographically Extreme Regions By Wolfgang Lutz, Warren Sanderson, Sergei Scherbov, and Samir K.C. The world’s two most demographically extreme regions are sub-Saharan Africa, which is experiencing the most rapid population growth, and Eastern Europe, which has the fastest shrinking population. In this paper, prepared for the Transatlantic Council on Migration, the authors track the region’s divergent paths through 2030 and examine labor-force trends, educational attainment, and implications for future migration to Europe. Download report

	Migration, Public Opinion and Politics This third book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, analyzes how media coverage, public opinion and political rhetoric can play an important role in advancing — or impeding — immigration policy reforms in Europe and the United States. The volume examines what publics across the Atlantic think about immigrants and immigration. It also asks: What effect does media coverage have on the prospects for changing the laws and practices that shape immigration and immigrant integration? And how should politicians and others who champion reform speak about immigration? To order a copy, click here.

RECESSION AND IMMIGRATION
	Migration and the Global Recession By Michael Fix, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Jeanne Batalova, Aaron Terrazas, Serena Yi-Ying Lin, and Michelle Mittelstadt The global financial crisis that began in September 2008 can be viewed as having a deeper and more global effect on the movement of people around the world than any other economic downturn in the post-World War II era of migration, finds a new MPI report commissioned by the BBC World Service. The report explores how the recession has affected the movement of some of the world's more than 195 million migrants and their remittances in locations around the globe. It provides data on migration, remittances, employment, and poverty rates for immigrants and the native-born alike; and examines the policy changes some countries have enacted to suppress migrant inflows, encourage departures (including through recent "pay-to-go" plans), and protect labor markets for native-born workers. Download Report \| Press Release

	Immigration in the United Kingdom: The Recession and Beyond By Will Somerville and Madeleine Sumption Will the recession reduce immigrant inflows to the United Kingdom and encourage return migration as immigrants find it more difficult to get jobs? There is already evidence that Eastern European workers are arriving in significantly smaller numbers. Still, the report makes clear that immigration will by no means cease during the recession in part because the downturn also is affecting immigrant-source countries and because migration decisions are not governed solely by economic concerns. Download report

	Immigration and the Labor Market: Theory, Evidence, and Policy By Will Somerville and Madeleine Sumption With the current economic downturn leading to questions over the value of economic migration, this report examines labor-market conditions in the United Kingdom. While there is consensus among economic researchers that immigration has only a small impact on the average wages of all workers, the report suggests that policymakers cannot ignore immigrants’ role in the labor market. Interventions to assist low-skilled workers, integration policies, and employer-sponsored training are essential tools to mitigate real and perceived effects of immigration. Download report

	Migration and the Economic Downturn: What to Expect in the European Union By Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Madeleine Sumption, and Will Somerville As unemployment rises and household budgets shrink across the European Union, policymakers, analysts, and the public are beginning to ask what the consequences will be with respect to immigration. The implications of the recession should not be underestimated. The downturn is likely to affect the kind of immigrants that arrive and leave, with implications for labor supply in certain sectors, for integration, and for the host communities. Download Report

	Immigrants and the Current Economic Crisis By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Aaron Terrazas As the United States sinks into a recession that may be the worst since the Great Depression, the economic crisis raises fundamental questions about future immigration flows to and from the United States and how current and prospective immigrants will fare. This report, a research product of MPI's new Labor Markets Initiative, examines how the number of immigrants has changed since the recession began; how legal and illegal immigration flows may change; and how immigrants fare in the labor market during downturns. Download Report \| Press Release More on the Labor Markets Initiative here

IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
	The Social Mobility of Immigrants and Their Children Transatlantic Council Convenor and MPI President Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Will Somerville, and Madeleine Sumption examine social mobility, which is essential to immigrant integration. First-generation immigrants in Europe and the United States typically experience downward mobility largely because of four factors: language barriers, differences in educational attainment, difficulties obtaining recognition for credentials and experience gained abroad, and problems accessing opportunities through social networks and other recruitment channels. The second generation improves substantially on its parents’ generation. This improvement is insufficient, however, to allow all groups to catch up with the children of natives. This paper examines some immigration and educational policy interventions that could improve integration. Download Report The Second Generation in Europe: Education and the Transition to the Labor Market In this report, authors Maurice Crul and Jens Schneider examine the findings of The Integration of the European Second Generation (TIES) survey with respect to educational and labor market outcomes for second-generation Turks across 13 cities in seven European countries. Among the survey’s findings: There is a direct relationship between the educational attainment of children of immigrants and the years they are able to spend with peers who have native-born parents. Download Report Education, Diversity, and the Second Generation: A Discussion Guide The discussion guide, written by Michael Fix and Margie McHugh, Co-Directors of MPI’s National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, offers a brief demographic and statistical profile of the immigrant student population in the United States, with comparison points drawn to Germany where the data permit. The guide sketches broad policy implications of the demographic data and offers up for discussion a set of policy and practice issues in two areas: early childhood care and education, and secondary instruction of first- and second-generation students, with a focus on those whose proficiency in English or German lags. Download Report

CITIZENSHIP
	Citizenship has become a dynamic policy vehicle for promoting the political incorporation — and even complete integration — of immigrants. The Transatlantic Council on Migration commissioned a series of policy papers analyzing how citizenship impacts political participation, identity, and social cohesion. The papers were presented during the Council’s inaugural meeting in Bellagio, Italy, in April 2008. Stakeholder Citizenship: An Idea Whose Time Has Come? Rainer Bauböck of the European University Institute proposes a stakeholder principle to guide citizenship policies in Europe and North America. Download Paper. Dual Citizenship in an Age of Mobility Thomas Faist and Jürgen Gerdes of Bielefeld University discuss the evolution of global views towards dual citizenship and discuss its benefits and drawbacks. Download Paper. Local Voting Rights for Non-Nationals in Europe This paper, by University of Nijmegen Sociology of Law Professor Kees Groenendijk, examines what is known and what should be learned about local voting rights across Europe and their effect on integration, naturalization, and political participation. Download Paper. A New Citizenship Bargain for the Age of Mobility? Randall A. Hansen of the University of Toronto details citizenship requirements in Europe and North America, examining individual countries’ language, civics, and citizenship test mandates. Download Paper. The Complexities of Immigration: Why Western Countries Struggle with Immigration Politics and Policies Jennifer L. Hochschild of Harvard and John Mollenkopf of the City University of New York discuss the complexities facing political parties of the left and right sparked by high levels of immigration. Download Paper.

THE BOOKSTORE

	Improving the Governance of International Migration Contemporary states are ambivalent about the global governance of migration: They desire more of it because they know they cannot reach their goals by acting alone, but they fear the necessary compromise on terms they may not be able to control and regarding an issue that is politically charged. Currently, there is no formal, coherent, multilateral institutional framework governing the global flow of migrants. While most actors agree that greater international cooperation on migration is needed, there has been no persuasive analysis of what form this would take or of what greater global cooperation would aim to achieve. The purpose of this book, the Transatlantic Council on Migration's fifth volume, is to fill this analytical gap by focusing on a set of fundamental questions: What are the key steps to building a better, more cooperative system of governance? What are the goals that can be achieved through greater international cooperation? And, most fundamentally, who (or what) is to be governed? Purchase a Copy

	Prioritizing Integration This fourth book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, takes stock of the impact of the global economic crisis on immigrant integration in Europe and the United States. It assesses where immigrants have lost ground, using evidence such as employment rates, levels of funding for educational programs, trends toward protectionism, and public opinion, focusing on the case studies of five countries in particular: the United States, Germany, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom. This systematic look at where and how immigrants have been affected by the recession's pinch permits examination of how governments can use the recovery period as an opportunity for more meaningful and targeted investments in integration – ones that will boost economic competitiveness and improve social cohesion. To order a copy, click here.

	Securing Human Mobility in the Age of Risk: New Challenges for Travel, Migration, and Borders This new book makes the case that the nation's post-9/11 approach to immigration and border security is off-kilter and not keeping pace with the scope and complexity of people's movement around the world, nor with expectations regarding freedom of movement. Author Susan Ginsburg, who served as senior counsel and team leader on the staff of the 9/11 Commission, proposes a new paradigm that seeks to secure mobility and promote the rule of law in global migration channels while moving away from a system that too often conflates border and immigration enforcement with counterterrorism. Purchase Online \| Press Release
	Migration, Public Opinion and Politics This third book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, analyzes how media coverage, public opinion and political rhetoric can play an important role in advancing — or impeding — immigration policy reforms in Europe and the United States. The volume examines what publics across the Atlantic think about immigrants and immigration. It also asks: What effect does media coverage have on the prospects for changing the laws and practices that shape immigration and immigrant integration? And how should politicians and others who champion reform speak about immigration? To order a copy, click here.
	Talent, Competitiveness and Migration This second book of the Transatlantic Council on Migration, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, maps how profound demographic change is likely to affect the size and character of global migration flows; and how governments can shape immigration policy in a world increasingly attuned to the hunt for talent. To order a copy, click here.
	Delivering Citizenship This book, published by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, is the first major product of the Transatlantic Council on Migration. It offers insights into key aspects of the citizenship debate from a policy perspective, and is a result of the Council’s deliberations and thinking. To order a copy, click here.

CONTACT

Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications, MPI
+1 202-266-1910
Email

MPI EXPERTS

Demetrios Papademetriou
North American migration, European migration, temporary and high-skilled workers, labor migration, citizenship, border management, remittances

Gregory Maniatis
European migration, EU integration policy

Elizabeth Collett
European migration, EU integration policy

Will Somerville
European migration, UK immigration policy

COUNCIL STATEMENTS

Integration at the Local Level: Council Conclusions

Talent, Competitiveness, and Migration: Council Statement

Delivering Citizenship: Council Statement

RELATED RESEARCH

Shared Challenges and Opportunities for EU and US Immigration Policymakers
By Philippe Fargues, Demetrios G. Papademetriou, Giambattista Salinari, and Madeleine Sumption
This final report of the Improving EU and US Immigration Systems: Learning from Experience comparative research project undertaken by the Migration Policy Institute and the European University Institute summarizes and reflects upon key findings.
Download Report | Project Website

Scientists, Managers, and Tourists: The Changing Shape of European Migration to the United States
By Madeleine Sumption and Xiaochu Hu
Once the dominant immigrant stream into the United States, European migration to the country has fallen sharply since World War II. Today’s migration from European Union Member States is characterized by highly skilled immigrants.
Download Report

The Role of Civil Society in EU Migration Policy: Perspectives on the European Union’s Engagement in its Neighborhood
By Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan
Civil society provides a crucial link between governments and the communities they represent. But thus far, civil-society organizations have had a limited role in European policy debates.
Download Report

Rethinking Points Systems and Employer-Selected Immigration
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
Advanced industrialized economies typically have used one of two competing models for selecting economic-stream immigrants: Points-based or employer-led selection. Increasingly, however, they are creating hybrid selection systems, implement the best ideas from each model.
Download Report

Opportunities for Transatlantic Cooperation on International Migration
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
The transatlantic relationship is among the most significant partnerships between wealthy nations in immigration policy. This policy memo explores opportunities for cooperation regarding travel and border security, labor mobility, and other areas.
Download Memo

Eight Policies to Boost the Economic Contribution of Employment-Based Immigration
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou and Madeleine Sumption
This policy memo, drawing on experiences from Asia, Europe, North America, and the Pacific region, presents eight strategies to create effective and efficient economic-stream immigration systems.
Download Memo

Emerging Transatlantic Security Dilemmas in Border Management
By Elizabeth Collett
The sheer volume of global travel, which has risen exponentially since the 1960s, puts border management systems under constant pressure. This policy memo examines the infrastructure and policy developments – and challenges – that have occurred in recent years on both sides of the Atlantic.
Download Memo

Improving Immigrants’ Employment Prospects through Work-Focused Language Instruction
By Margie McHugh and A. E. Challinor
This policy memo explores the different approaches to providing work-focused language training that have developed in Europe and the United States.
Download Memo

Transatlantic Cooperation on Travelers’ Data Processing: From Sorting Countries to Sorting Individuals
This report details the post-9/11 programs and agreements implemented by US and European governments to identify terrorists and serious transnational criminals through the collection and processing of increasing quantities of traveler data.
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The Evolution of Border Controls as a Mechanism to Prevent Illegal Immigration
By Rey Koslowski
This paper analyzes how the challenges in achieving effective US border control have increased dramatically within recent decades and particularly since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Download Report

The Age of Mobility: How to Get More Out of Migration in the 21st Century
By Demetrios G. Papademetriou
The report lays out the future of migration in developed countries, the new context in which it takes place, and the opportunities and challenges that migration poses for Western societies.

The Proposed European Blue Card System: Arming for the Global War for Talent?
By Elizabeth Collett, European Policy Centre
This article examines the European Union’s push for highly skilled foreign workers.