Volume 26 - Article 21 | Pages 543-592

The temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe: Recent trends


Date received:	10 Jun 2011
Date published:	08 Jun 2012
Word count:	6207
Keywords:	harmonization, international migration, multiregional, multistate, waiting time
DOI:	10.4054/DemRes.2012.26.21

Abstract

Descriptive studies of international migration typically rely on measures of migrant stocks and migration rates to assess migration patterns. In this paper, we propose a third alternative. Using harmonized data on age-specific migration flows from and to countries in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA) from 2002-2007, we estimate the waiting time of international migration, i.e., the total time lived by migrants in receiving countries, on average, given period migration and mortality schedules. The results provide a window into the temporal dynamics of international migration in Europe, which are increasingly relevant given recent expansions of the EU.

Author's Affiliation

Jack DeWaard - University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States of America [Email]
James Raymer - Australian National University, Australia [Email]