Abstract Currently, German schools are attended by third- and even fourth-generation descendants of Turkish-origin workers who arrived as guests in the 1960s. The experiences of Turkish-origin families can provide valuable insights into Germany’s success in integrating families with migration biographies into the education system and supporting them across generations. This study compares the effectiveness of the German education system in involving and empowering first and second-generation Turkish-origin parents in educational matters, aiming to guide future research and improvements. The study involved 11 parents and six teachers. The interview results showed that first-generation parents were less involved in education processes due to language barriers, felt isolated because of cultural differences, and perceived that teachers and the education system were not sufficiently inclusive in the past. In contrast, the second generation was able to foster closer relationships with the school and participate more actively in education through teacher and parent organisations. Although immigrant parents today have overcome language barriers, they still require support in pedagogical matters. It is recommended that school administrations, teachers, and civil society organisations carry out empowering activities for parents.
Johannes Bhanye, Abraham Matamanda, Ruvimbo Shayamunda
Abstract This ethnographic study investigates the perceptions of place and migration aspirations among young migrants within the Malawian diaspora in Lydiate, an informal settlement in Zimbabwe. Unlike traditional conceptions of diaspora that emphasize long-term settlement and place attachment, this study introduces the concept of a ‘radical sense of place,’ where the settlement is viewed not as a permanent home but as a temporary staging ground for future aspirations. Through qualitative data collected between 2018 and 2020, including participant observations and in-depth interviews with young migrants aged 15 to 35, this research explores how these youths strategically navigate their socio-economic marginalization. The findings reveal that young migrants perceive their settlement as a launch pad to better opportunities in more affluent urban areas, driven by a combination of harsh living conditions and the allure of urban life. This perspective challenges existing migration theories by highlighting the temporary and strategic relationships with place among diaspora youths. The study also highlights the interplay between age, identity, and aspirations, showcasing the pivotal role these factors play in shaping the radical decisions of young migrants. While young migrants exhibit resilience in the migration process, they also face social exclusion, lack of social protection, and the risk of abuse and discrimination. The study advocates for policies tailored to address the specific conditions and vulnerabilities faced by youths in diaspora ethnic enclaves, promoting avenues for meaningful employment and advocating for youth migration based on informed choices rather than forced migration.
In his editorial, former CPoS editor Johannes Huinink reflects on his personal experiences with the journal as author, advisory board member and editor. He emphasizes the importance of scholarly debates, efforts to include contributions from the Global South, and shares his perspectives for the journal’s continued development and success. He focuses on both the ZfB and CPoS years. The ZfB played a key role in re-establishing demography as a scientific discipline in Germany. Since its relaunch in 2010 as CPoS, the journal has become an internationally recognized, English-language open-access platform with a strong focus on thematic Special Issues.
* This article belongs to a series celebrating the journal's 50th anniversary.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
In his editorial, former editor of Comparative Population Studies (CPoS) Frans Willekens reflects on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in population studies. Effective and responsible use of any tool requires a basic understanding of how it works, when it may be used, and when its use should be avoided. When this fundamental principle is observed, AI tools can enrich learning and research and help advance the frontiers of knowledge. Epistemic integrity and accountability remain essential; the advent of AI does not diminish that core value. Although generative AI is currently dominated by machine learning and relies on statistical inference to make predictions and generate content, rule-based AI, which dominated AI in the early days, is making a comeback. Students of population should critically engage with the expanding landscape of AI systems and resist the tendency towards technological monoculture. They should cultivate substantive collaborations with computer scientists to develop domain-specific AI systems that fully prepare population studies − with demography at its core − for the era of AI.
* This article belongs to a series celebrating the journal's 50th anniversary.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
In migration studies, scholars differ in their emphasis on which level of government plays the central role in immigrant integration policies. There are voices drawing attention to a ‘local turn’, highlighting the rising power of local actors in immigrant integration. At the same time, other authors point to a ‘national turn’, connected to the introduction of civic integration policies – or even the Europeanisation of integration policies coming from the supranational level. In order to better understand how integration policies are governed, this article compares the Austrian and Czech governance of these policies, examining the relationship between the different levels of government involved. The analysis is based on Scholten’s typology of centralist, localist, decoupling and multi-level forms of governance. It asks how integration policies are governed in Austria and Czechia and how their governance changed with the implementation of civic integration policies. While centralist and decoupling tendencies appeared in the Austrian case, a multi-level governance approach emerged with civic integration in Czechia. These results disprove the assumption of a supposedly more likely multi-level governance approach in a federal state and a more centralised logic under the unitary regime, as suggested by the literature.
Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
Abstract This article aims to reconcile the moral rights of failed asylum seekers with the integrity of the asylum system. Can the state grant failed asylum seekers a right to stay without undermining the core purpose of the refugee system? Can the state sometimes return those whose asylum claim has failed without violating their moral rights? The article argues that restricting the rights of asylum seekers and reducing the length of the asylum process raise ethical concerns and practical problems. It emphasizes that liberal states should charitably interpret the norms of international protection. It proposes to extend the right to stay on social membership grounds qualified by a good faith condition, and limit returns to those that have lodged their claim in bad faith. Engaging with the good/bad faith distinction the article aims to counteract a culture of suspicion towards asylum seekers by clarifying what it really means to launch a claim in bad faith and to realign its scope in a morally appropriate way.
Abstract Despite the growing interest in the migration of older adults in China, the intricacies linking migration motivations with destination choices remain insufficiently explored. Drawing from China’s unique context, we categorize inter-provincial older migrants into three types: employment-led, dependent, and lifestyle. Using microdata from the Sixth Population Census of 2010 and the 1% Population Sampling Survey of 2015, we examine their evolving motivations and corresponding shifts in destination preferences. The analysis shows an increase in lifestyle-oriented migration and a decrease in dependent migration, while employment-led migration has remained stable relative to the total. Older migrants seeking employment tend to favor destinations further south, prioritizing regional economic conditions. In contrast, those motivated by lifestyle factors exhibit a broader range of destination choices, largely due to their preference for amenities. Dependent older adult migrants consider both job-related and amenity-related factors and demonstrate a stronger tendency to relocate to the east. Amenity-related factors have increasingly influenced the destination choices across all three types of migration over time. Our findings provide deeper insights into the intricacies of migration in old adulthood and highlight the need for tailored policymaking.
This paper is based on research analysing cases of unsuccessful East–West return migration. Specifically, it examines returnees’ expectations, needs and challenges that shape the decision for re-migration or double return migration. Qualitative data were collected from 2020 to 2022 through 16 in-depth biographical interviews. The analysis applies narrative thematic and discursive approaches, focusing on specific word choices and discursive forms. Although subjective and personal factors largely influence the narrators’ mobility, the article highlights the structural factors underlying their unsuccessful return-migration experiences. The research question is: What structural problems have determined returnees’ decisions for double return migration? The results depict return migration as an emotionally driven decision motivated by a sense of belonging, a duty to Latvia, a desire to contribute and institutional encouragement to return. Differences in communication culture, work environment and power relations emerge as key structural challenges contributing to double return migration or leaving the homeland. In analysing the factors prompting narrators to reconsider their return and to leave Latvia for a second time, the study concludes that, during their migration, the interviewees have adopted new values that render them outsiders and make them unwilling to adapt.
Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
The recently presented CroHaM hypothesis says (1) that longitudinal health domain-specific expansion and compression effects depend primarily on the health domains’ mortality risk and (2) that these effects exist equivalently in the cross-sectional context, affecting differences in healthy life years (HLY) between populations and subpopulations with different levels of life expectancy (LE). We test this hypothesis by analysing the association between LE and unhealthy life years (ULY) at age 50 for a large number of subpopulations. The analyses are carried out for three health domains which are differently related to mortality: poor self-perceived health and strong activity limitation with comparatively high mortality, and chronic morbidity with comparatively low risk of dying. Data on gender- and subpopulation-specific prevalence of these health conditions are taken from the Actual German Health Study 2012 (GEDA). LEs are estimated with the “Longitudinal Survival Method”, using data of the German Life Expectancy Survey. ULY are estimated with the “Sullivan Method”. Differences in ULY between each subpopulation and the total population and between women and men for each subpopulation are decomposed into the effects caused by differences in health (“health effect”) and mortality (“mortality effect”) with the “Nusselder/Looman Method”. The results confirm the CroHaM hypothesis: we find a positive relationship between LE and ULY only for chronic morbidity, whereas this relationship is negative for poor self-perceived health and strong activity limitation. However, when the mortality effect is controlled for, we find a negative relationship between LE and ULY for all three health domains. The practical relevance of these findings is discussed using the example of the so-called “gender paradox” in health and mortality. We conclude that the CroHaM hypothesis may describe an important determinant of life years spent with and without health impairment, and it may help to better understand and interpret trends and differentials in HLY or ULY based on cross-sectional data.
* This article belongs to a special issue on “Levels and Trends of Health Expectancy: Understanding its Measurement and Estimation Sensitivity”.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
In Japan, the population of immigrants has been increasing sharply, while the population is aging rapidly. Therefore, Japan is chosen for a case study to examine the relationship between demographic change and immigration. Immigration is important to the growth of the labor force due to population aging and the decline in working age population. Existing studies generally support the hypothesis that a positive association exists between population aging and immigration, which is as aging population increases, the number of immigrants increases in industrialized countries. However, there remain uncertainties as to what age range of the population is considered to increase in the proportion of older people related to the positive association, and how population composition by age group is related to the immigration in Japan. This study examines how the population composition by age group is related to immigration in Japan by applying econometric methods for the period 1975 – 2019. The results indicate that a decrease in the ratio of the population aged 60 – 64 to the total population and an increase in the population aged 65 and over are associated with increases in the ratio of foreign resident population to the total population of Japanese nationals.
Lenore Sauer, Andreas Ette, Hans Walter Steinhauer
et al.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many people have fled the war and left their home country. By the end of January 2023, more than one million Ukrainian refugees had been registered in Germany alone. In contrast to refugees from other countries of origin in Germany, Ukrainian citizens can choose their place of residence if they have either found private accommodation with family members or friends or do not claim state support. However, little information exists on where within Germany Ukrainian refugees have moved and why certain regions are potentially more attractive than others. There exists a substantial literature on the location choices of migrants in general, showing that the existing level of immigrant concentration is an important determinant, while economic factors have a smaller effect – if not in the initial location choice after immigration, then at least in later location decisions. Whereas these studies mainly focus on labour migrants, research on refugees’ location choices is still scarce, because refugees are usually assigned to specific places of residence by the authorities in many European countries. In the context of forced migration, spatial patterns may therefore largely be related to administrative decisions. In this paper, we aim to answer the question of the settlement patterns of recently arrived refugees from Ukraine in Germany by using current data from the Central Register of Foreigners. These patterns are modelled on the NUTS-3 level and consider the proportion of previous Ukrainian migrants living within those regions as well as additional economic, demographic, and geographical factors. Spatial regression models show that, on the one hand, Ukrainian refugees indeed settle where the number of Ukrainians is already high. The empirical analyses also indicate a correlation between the spatial patterns of refugees in general and Ukrainian refugees, suggesting that dispersal policies may play a role in explaining settlement patterns. Furthermore, affordable housing and lower rents are important explanatory variables.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
Richard Black, Alice Bellagamba, Ester Botta
et al.
Abstract The notion of migration as being at least partly about ‘choice’ is deeply rooted in both academic thought and public policy. Recent contributions have considered migration choice as step-wise in nature, involving a separation between ‘aspiration’ and ‘ability’ to migrate, whilst stressing a range of non-economic factors that influence migration choices. But such nuances have not prevented the emergence of a significant area of public policy that seeks to influence choices to migrate from Africa through ‘irregular’ channels, or at all, through a range of development interventions. This paper explores evidence from West Africa on how young people formulate the boundaries of such choice. Drawing on approaches in anthropology and elsewhere that stress the value of a ‘future-orientated’ lens, we show how present uncertainty is a central framing that fundamentally limits the value of thinking about migration as a choice. This has important implications for policy on ‘migration and development’.
Gender-based violence (GBV) is a complicated challenge embedded in displaced people’s lived experiences throughout the conflict displacement cycle. Despite the awareness of existing institutionalised help-seeking referral pathways, these do not necessarily translate to the full utilisation of such services. This paper examines the critical role of refugee leaders and service providers in potentially enabling and realising a GBV survivor’s help-seeking. By adapting a meso-level analysis, it attempts to explain how social networks built within conflict and displacement contribute to responding to GBV. Based on the review of collected interviews in 2019 from refugee leaders and service providers working with South Sudanese refugees in selected settlements in Uganda, the paper reflects on the importance of network, norms and trust in effectively responding to GBV in conditions of conflict-affected displacement.
City population. Including children in cities, immigration
International humanitarian actors, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and United Nations agencies, often focus on gender norm change when conducting gender analysis among refugees and internally displaced persons. Dominant humanitarian narratives about gender in research reports, assessments and technical guidance reveal an underlying belief that displacement is causative – an external, intervening force. In such analysis, colonial and neoliberal ideologies may influence how refugees’ lives are represented, resulting in depictions of lack of modernity, tradition and culture as overarching (yet ill-defined) forces, and women and girls as vulnerable by default. Such analysis is frequently ahistorical, presented without analysis of the pre-displacement situation. This paper explores and challenges humanitarian narratives about gender norm change during displacement. It is based on feminist ethnographic research in Jordan with Syrian women and men as well as interviews with humanitarian workers. The paper demonstrates that assumptions about lack of empowerment of Syrian women and men may be misguided, identifying both subtle and more overt forms of Syrian women’s and men’s resistance’ to expected norms. It urges humanitarian actors to use ‘resistance’ as an alternative to analysing ‘change’, recognise heterogeneity within populations, resist ‘rapid’ data collection, challenge paternalistic and colonial stereotypes, and reflect complexity in analysis.
City population. Including children in cities, immigration
Parental work migration can pose important risks for adolescents, such as joining inappropriate peer-groups, poor results in education or school drop-out. It can also facilitate positive changes in young people’s behaviour, as many become aware of the sacrifices their parents make to provide them with a better lifestyle and education and behave responsibly in return. Given that the literature highlights both negative and positive transformations related to parents’ migration, our aim is to address the impact of migration on adolescents left behind in rural Romania from their own perspective. We focus on teenagers’ experiences of separation from their mother, father or both, in different situations (family life, communication and rela-tionships, caring and concern for others, school achievements, future migration plans). Young people’s agency – their capacity to self-educate and organise themselves to perform well at school and in everyday activities following parental migration – is less studied in Romania. Thus, in addition to making the reality of these adolescents better known, our approach provides information that can be turned into policy solutions aimed at improving their life quality.
Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
Existing research has found that since the late 1960s, the pathway to adulthood in Western countries has undergone complex changes, but few studies have investigated such changes and the effect of childhood family background on the transition to adulthood within the Chinese context. This study aims to examine the role of childhood family background in the transition to adulthood among Chinese youth born between 1930 and 1979. We identified four clusters of trajectories to adulthood in both the family and occupational domain. In the occupational domain, more than a quarter of respondents fall into the cluster of high studies & non-agricultural employment and in the family domain, nearly one-third of the sample follows the clusters of marriage & one child and staying single longer, reflecting the increasing diversity and delay in transition to adulthood. Parents’ occupations during childhood had a significant effect on both occupational trajectory and family trajectory. Higher occupational status of parents delayed the transition to adulthood, while lower occupational status of parents promoted the transition to adulthood. Family economic status during childhood had a greater effect on occupational trajectories. Young people with worse family financial situations in childhood were more likely to enter the labour market earlier, while those with better family financial situations were more likely to receive long-term education and delay entering the workforce. The mother’s religious belief had a more significant effect on the family life course. Youths with non-religious mothers were more likely to fall into the unmarried or childless cluster. In the Chinese context, the political status of the father played an important role in adult transition. A father’s Communist party membership in childhood was positively correlated with the likelihood that individuals would follow the pattern of trajectory to adulthood characterised by long-term education.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
Easterlin’s relative income hypothesis refers to the current income of young adults compared to the level of material aspirations acquired during childhood. The hypothesis implies that young individuals are expected to reduce fertility if their material aspirations grow at a higher rate than their incomes. This paper examines whether the same hypothesis holds true for marriage. A higher (lower) level of income combined with a lower (higher) level of material aspirations would increase (decrease) relative income and consequently could affect marriage rates. Thus, relative income might be one explanation for the “marriage paradox” which indicates that young adults in the United States retreat from marriage despite perceiving it as a milestone of their lives. One might also expect relative income to be a better predictor of marriage than absolute income. This is because, according to the Easterlin hypothesis, the behaviour of young adults reflects not only their response to changes in external conditions (e.g. absolute income), but also to past events they have experienced.
We employ panel dynamic methods and causality tests for the United States that span the period from 1981 to 2016. Empirical analysis supports the relative income hypothesis. Causality tests indicate that the relationship runs mostly from relative income to marriage rather than the other way round. Relative income emerges as a stronger predictor than absolute income in all of the methods employed.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, City population. Including children in cities, immigration
S. Mani, Samayita Ghosh, Richa N. K. Sharma
et al.
Abstract Globally, more than 3.5 billion people are at risk of dengue infection and an estimated 390 million cases are detected annually. The pandemic has brought with it the simultaneous circulation of multiple serotypes and in its aftermath, endemic dengue haemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). Nearly 3 million children were hospitalized with this syndrome in the past 3 decades, mainly in South-East Asia. Recent outbreaks in the Pacific Islands, China, India, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Venezuela indicate that the high intensity and rapid spread of dengue transmission which is closely connected with urbanization factors, increase with temperature and precipitation and changes in spatial patterns.Since the mid-1990s, India has been experiencing frequent dengue epidemics. The overall cost of dengue in India in 2016 was about US$5.71 billion. Over the years, dengue has transitioned into an urban pandemic, largely as an epidemic starting in urban centres and gradually expanding to surrounding peri-urban and rural areas. Urban areas are characterized by relatively higher temperature (Urban Heat Island), and higher concentration of population, and are more favorable for the transmission of Aedes aegypti mosquito. The vector thrives in areas with standing water, including puddles, water tanks, containers and old tires. Lack of reliable sanitation and regular garbage collection and water storage practices contribute to the breeding and spread of the mosquitoes.Delhi is hyperendemic with a frequent occurrence of concurrent infections with multiple DENV serotypes. The first severe outbreak took place in the state during 1996 with 10253 cases and 253 deaths. Since then, outbreaks in the city have been reported during 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2015, indicating the decreasing gap between the outbreaks. Dengue cases in the city show an increasing trend in the past decade with 2015, the most recent incidence of outbreak reporting 15857 cases and 60 deaths as reported under the National Vector Borne Disease Surveillance Programme (NVBDSP). A lag period of two months has been observed between the peaks of rainfall and dengue cases in Delhi indicating a lack of sufficient and timely preventive and public health efforts by the local health administration alongside other systemic challenges to be responsible for the outbreaks. However, since 2015, the reported dengue-related cases and deaths are showing steady decline with 80% reduction in reported cases.The municipality and other urban local bodies are taking several measures for dengue control and prevention. Several fever clinics have been opened up in the government hospitals, dispensaries and mohalla (community) clinics. The private hospitals have also been permitted to increase the bed strength by 20% during the season only for fever patients. To coordinate the efforts of the Delhi government and the civic bodies, a dengue control cell is also created. In addition, an intensive anti dengue campaign has been launched to increase awareness and public participation is contributing to improved disease control. Several studies have emphasized on the need for epidemiological and entomological surveillance to monitor trends in dengue distribution, seasonal patterns and circulating serotypes to guide dengue control activities with efforts currently being made to ensure early warning signals for timely detection of outbreaks.