Statistics and reality

Heinz Fassmann, Wiebke Sievers

"Worldwide harmonisation of migration statistics is something international bodies dream of. And yet, attempts by organisations needing comparative data have not proven very successful thus far. More than just problematising the incomparability of migration statistics, Statistics and Reality shows how figures only ever mirror part of the truth. With this understanding, the authors of the twelve country reports contained in this volume show how the statistics used to describe European migration are based on different conceptualisations, each being closely tied to the particular history and migratory past of a nation. Moreover, each state has its own way of counting foreign citizens and foreign-born populations, conducting censuses, handling population registers and maintaining permit databases. While also reflecting recent trends in migration studies, such as the feminisation of...