ICMPD-Review-2015

ICMPD Annual Report 2015
28
Research Unit
Evidence and
Reflection: Policies,
Programmes and
the Fundamentals of
Forward-looking
Policies
Policymakers turn to scientific evidence to prepare
policies and assess their impact. Scientific research
also provides important input for the policy process
independent from any questions that may be posed
by policymakers, thus encouraging critical reflection
and long-term thinking. Studies conducted by ICMPD
in 2015 reflect these complementary roles of research.
Ensuring the availability of the best possible evidence
is an important objective in itself. At ICMPD
this has translated into a long-standing involvement
in relevant efforts to improve statistical data collection
on migration and integration. In regard to integration
information on developments over time, data
is crucial but often lacking. Research completed in
2015 has investigated different options to monitor
and better understand migrants’ individual integration
trajectories over time.
Care and migration are largely discussed in terms
of migrants as care workers. However, aging migrants
are themselves an important group of persons
in need of care. A recent case study on care
and support of elderly migrants shows that service
providers in countries of destination are not sufficiently
prepared for this group’s specific care needs.
For example, dementia often results in the loss of
languages acquired after childhood, raising challenges
for care providers. The study shows that this could
be avoided by more customised care systems.
In policy debates about integration there is often the
assumption of a contradiction between migrants’
engagement in their countries of origin and their
successful integration in the destination country.
The ITHACA study in which ICMPD was involved