Measuring transnational behaviours and identities

While the first EUCROSS working paper (Favell et al. 2011) laid down the theoretical groundwork of our project in a ‘State of the Art Report’ (SoA) and the second one (Hanquinet and Savage 2011) discussed issues around the operationalisation of three key concepts – European identity, cosmopolitanism and cross-border practices – this paper elaborates on the measurement instruments which have ultimately been chosen and, thus, form the core of the EUCROSS questionnaire. Hence, as the title suggests, the paper describes how we measure ‘transnational’ behaviours and identities. In particular, it outlines the questionnaire items developed to capture those phenomena, which the SoA referred to as ‘cross-border practices’, and their influence on individual identification with Europe or a cosmopolitan stance

Migrant sampling using Facebook advertisements: a case study of Polish migrants in four European countries

Sampling of migrants in cross-national survey research is challenging. Established techniques such as random-route sampling or random-digit-dialing are associated with high monetary costs, in particular when small migrant groups are targeted. The use of onomastic (name based) telephone sampling is a relatively cost-efficient alternative, but it relies on a number of conditions (e.g., existence of telephone directories in the respective countries and inclusion of the target population). As the use of social networking sites (SNSs) has spread around the globe in the last 20 years, the present paper investigates whether a specific SNS, Facebook, can be used to sample migrants, with the ultimate goal to supplement other approaches. This article is based on data collected as part of a survey that used Facebook advertisements to sample Polish migrants in Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The study succeeded in sampling a total of 1,103 individuals who completed the relatively extensive questionnaire within the field period of 8 weeks (1,100 within the 4 weeks the advertisements were placed). In contrast to most of the few other studies that tried to sample respondents with the help of Facebook advertisements, no incentives were used. With nearly all (96%) of the respondents belonging to the target population and a total sampling budget of €500 (US$557), the method can be considered both accurate and cost efficient in recruiting people from the target population. Furthermore, our results suggest that the vast majority of the sample would not have been reached if onomastic sampling had been employed

Introduction: Using Innovative Technologies to Tackle Methodological Challenges in Migration Research

In this introductory chapter, the editors suggest that the increasing need for rigorous data on international migration warrants enhanced co-operation between migration scholars, survey methodologists, and data scientists. Innovative information and communication technology, it is argued, may contribute substantially to improving the design and implementation of migrant surveys, and digital trace data may complement traditional data sources in promising ways. These claims are substantiated in nine contributions, all of which are based on first-hand experience with data collection and processing. Some chapters discuss innovative strategies for improving sample designs and resolving survey design issues, whereas others address the emerging role of large-scale datasets that were generated for reasons alien to migration research

Conclusion: Migration Research in Times of Ubiquitous Digitization

In this concluding chapter, the book’s editors stress the epochal status of the digital revolution and urge migration scholars to leverage innovative information and communication technology for enhancing their research designs. New technological options may contribute significantly to improving the viability and quality of researcher-defined data collections, yet their full potential comes to bear with regard to massive datasets generated by third parties, such as digital trace data. Since the center of gravity of social studies is predicted to shift increasingly towards the repurposing of such accrued data, migration researchers are advised to seek close cooperation with data scientists. In addition to methodological pluralism and interdisciplinary collaboration, the editors emphasize the need for ethical safeguards and accountability as major challenges this ongoing transformation entails

Doppelte Staatsangehörigkeit und Auslandswahlrecht in Kolumbien

Der Beitrag geht von der Beobachtung aus, dass zahlreiche Staaten Lateinamerikas in den letzten Jahrzehnten dazu übergingen, die Grenzen nationaler Zugehörigkeit neu zu definieren und die Möglichkeit zur Führung von mehreren Staatsangehörigkeiten konstitutionell zu verankern. Darüber hinaus gestatten auch immer mehr Länder dieser Region ihren dauerhaft im Ausland lebenden Staatsbürgern die Teilnahme an demokratischen Prozessen, insbesondere an nationalen Wahlen. Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet diese Entwicklungen am Beispiel Kolumbiens und geht den Gründen für diese symbolische und praktische Inklusion der Emigranten nach. Dem vorangestellt sind einige theoretische Überlegungen zur Auswirkung internationaler Migration auf etablierte Konzepte staatlicher Zugehörigkeit und demokratischer Partizipation. Abschließend werden die geringe Wahlbeteiligung der kolumbianischen Migranten und mögliche Erklärungsansätze derselben diskutiert

Was EU-wide vaccine procurement the strategy Germans wanted?

Last year the EU made the decision to buy and distribute COVID-19 vaccines centrally, which has since proved controversial. Ann-Kathrin Reinl, Steffen Pötzschke and Alexia Katsanidou (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences) surveyed public opinion to find out whether Germans initially agreed with the strategy

Die Nutzung des GESIS Panel als offene Umfrageinfrastruktur für innovative Forschungsprojekte

Das GESIS Panel ist eine Panelbefragung mit sechs Erhebungen pro Jahr, die verallgemeinerbare Aussagen auf die deutschsprachige Wohnbevölkerung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland zulässt. Einzigartig für Deutschland ist, dass mit dem GESIS Panel, Forschenden aus den Sozialwissenschaften und benachbarten Disziplinen die Gelegenheit geboten wird, in der Regel kostenfrei eigene Längs- oder Querschnittbefragungen durchzuführen. Das GESIS Panel dient auch als zentrale Datenerhebungsinfrastruktur des Projektes "Veränderung durch Krisen? Solidarität und Entsolidarisierung in Deutschland und Europa" (Solikris). Im folgenden Beitrag wird das GESIS Panel zunächst allgemein vorgestellt. Anschließend wird seine Nutzung zur Beantwortung der Solikris-Fragestellungen in den einzelnen Arbeitspaketen besprochen. Der Beitrag schließt mit einer beispielhaften Darstellung qualitativer Anmerkungen der Studienteilnehmer*innen zum Solikris-Fragenprogramm. Die entsprechenden Kommentare unterstreichen die Relevanz der behandelten Themen

Cross-Border Activities and Transnational Identification of Turkish Migrants in Europe

This paper reports preliminary results on the interplay of cross-border practices and transnational identifications for Turkish migrants living in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania and the United Kingdom surveyed in the FP7 EUCROSS project. Quantitative data were collected by telephone and face-to-face surveys with 250 Turkish migrants in each of the five countries of residence. In addition, qualitative interviews were conducted with 10 Turkish migrants in each country. We find remarkable differences between Turkish migrant groups in the surveyed countries both with respect to background variables, such as duration of sojourn, education and migration motives, and cross-border activities, such as travel experiences, friendship networks and communication abroad. Our analysis shows that the experience of cross-border activities did not influence the respondents’ stance towards supra national entities, such as the European Union or the World as such. This might be due to the fact that the individuals surveyed here did not differ in the most important mobility experience: the migration to another country. A specific “Schengen area” effect on European identification did not emerge from our data. Quite the contrary: those respondents who live outside the Schengen zone (i.e., in the United Kingdom and Romania) are among those who identified most strongly with Europe. Moreover, most of the interviewed Turkish nationals were more likely to state a pronounced cosmopolitan stance than a strong identification with Europe. However, this might not come as an surprise, as the full rights associated with European citizenship have not yet been awarded to Turkish nationals in EU member states