Since emigration and immigration plug into the highly sensitive and
subjective issues of nationhood and identity, the definition of what a
migrant is and is not, and the dissemination of knowledge about
international migration are themselves intrinsically subjective matters.
Since statistics are produced out of data routinely collected by state
administrations and because international migration moves individuals
from one state to another, data on international migration are by their
very nature difficult to collect and require international harmonisation
of statistical procedures.
The paper reviews and discusses the various
criteria that states use to define a migrant: the country of birth and
the country of citizenship of individuals and, by cases, those of their
parents, as well as their duration of stay. It shows that in migration
matters, truth is not unique, and different points of view can produce
contrasted, but not contradictory, estimates.
http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/31695?utm_source=MPC+Newsletter&utm_campaign=a0567e65f6-New_MPC_RSCAS_working_paper_6_25_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5739ea1f8b-a0567e65f6-73568189
