Is the Integration of Muslim Migrants More Difficult? Unpacking the Differences of the Social, Economic, Civic and Political Integration of Muslim and Non-Muslim Migrants in Switzerland in Comparative Perspective.

Abstract

This project examines the patterns of economic, social, civic and political integration of Muslim migrants and asks whether, indeed, they are different to those of non-Muslim migrants. The project will critically address the conceptualizations and operationalizations of 'Muslimness' and of 'integration' to overcome the theoretical and conceptual limitations in prior existing research on this topic. In the context of COST Action 16111 Ethmigsurveydata, it will locate, compile, make available, post-harmonize and pool the quantitative survey data available in Switzerland and Europe that include samples of Muslim and non-Muslim migrants. Using Propensity Score Matching, the project will address the methodological shortcomings of prior research that does not disentangle the effect of being of Muslim faith from that of other confounders linked to the migration process of Muslims living in Europe. With a research team formed by Prof Giugni, Dr Kolbe, Prof Morales and one post-doctoral researcher (Natalia C. Malancu), this project will offer highly novel datasets and findings that will contribute to scientific progress in this area and that will be able to inform public and policy debates on the challenges of integrating migrants into European societies.

IMPORTANCE OF THE COST ACTION FOR THE PROJECT

The key goal of ETHMIGSURVEYDATA is to compile, make available, post-harmonize and share in open data access a wide range of survey data that have been produced to samples or sub-samples of ethnic and migrant minorities across Europe and beyond. The COST Action will provide the essential networking, coordination, research capacity and infrastructure for this project to be feasible.

This project will focus on a small subset of data on ethnic and migrant minorities, those that include Muslim migrant minorities and allow for comparisons with non-Muslim migrant minorities. Although the principal investigator of this project (Prof Giugni) and one of the collaborators (Prof Morales) already hold some such data, it will be only through the platform provided by the COST Action that a larger set of survey data will become available.

Team

Current members

Marco Giugni -Université de Genève

Laura Morales -Sciences PO, Paris

Natalia C. Malancu - Université de Genève

Past members (until December 15, 2020)

Melanie Kolbe - The Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID)

RESEARCH WORK

Ethmigsurveydata is directed by Professor Laura Morales (Chair) of the Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics, Sciences Po, Paris and collaboratively coordinated by a Management Committee (MC), an Advisory Committee, Core Group, and the Grant Holder (GH) Institution.

Roles of team members within ETHMIGSURVEYDATA:

Marco Giugni acted as a MC Main (CH Representative)

Melanie Kolbe (until her departure from the project) acted as MC Main and WG2 Leadership Team member

Natalia Malancu acted as MC Substitute, WG1 Leadership Team member, AND WG3 Co-Leader

The Ethnic and Migrant Minority (EMM) Survey Registry is one of the main outputs generated by COST Action 16111 Ethmigsurveydata jointly with the Sciences Po team of the SSHOC (Social Sciences and Humanities Open Cloud) project. It is also a result of the collective efforts by the national delegations of the participating countries in the COST Action who have contributed to an initial comprehensive compilation of all the surveys targeting EMM respondents since January 2000 and until 2018 in their respective country.

The EMM Survey Registry is a free online tool that allows users to explore and learn about existing quantitative surveys to EMM (sub)populations through the compiled survey-level metadata. This can be done using the search, filtering (simple and advanced) and sorting features. Once the desired filtering, sorting, and/or search parameters have been identified/selected, the list of surveys will be automatically updated.

The entries for Switzerland in the EMM Survey Registry are the result of work conducted by Natalia Malancu under the guidance of Laura Morales and Marco Giugni. Specifically, Natalia Malancu provided an inventory of post-2000 Swiss case-study surveys and cross-national datasets targeting EMM respondents, as well as all related technical documentation. She also obtained consent from the relevant survey producers/distributors/owners to store and reuse the resulting survey metadata. One can review the entries for Switzerland by using the "1.0. Country" Registry filter. Additionally, one can access a summary info sheet of these entries.

This research output ensured two other outcomes. Specifically, Switzerland was included in the Report produced by the Action's WG1 and WG2 on the EMM Survey Registry (Morales et al. 2020). Switzerland was also included as a participating country in the Question Data Bank Pilot developed by the ETHMIGSURVEYDATA (effort coordinated by Morales and Malancu). As such, existing Swiss data has been/is showcased for its availability and quality.

One of the explict goals of WG3 was to produce a set of standardized indicators and methodological protocols for analyzing datasets and inspiring surveys on EMMs integration in the future. Natalia Malancu wrote together with Patrick Simon (both leaders of WG3) a working document titled "Guidelines for Producing the Grid of Integration Indicators Needed to Extract Variables and Generate the EMM Question DataBank". Malancu then coordinated and contributed to WG3's efforts to produce said new grid through the work of designated mini-groups. Her main focus was on those integration areas considered for the Question Data Bank Pilot (Pilot 1 addressed the integration dimension "Civic and Political Engagement").

Once the Question Data Bank Pilot 1-related conceptual hierarchy and linking established, Malancu, under the guidance of Morales, proceeded with the task of data post-harmonization. Step 1 consisted in identifying the relevant national- and subnational-level surveys, using the EMM Survey Registry. Step 2 was that of specifying target variables. The subsequent steps were overseen by Malancu and completed with the additional support of Meredith Winn and a team of STSMs, under the guidance of Morales and Katia Pilati. Step 3 implied identifying question items corresponding to target variables, while Step 4 obtaining data matrices. In step 5 the target variable measures were built and a codebook generated. Lastly, in Step 6, a post-harmonized dataset was built and the data transformation documented.

COST-RELATED EVENTS

ATTENDED/CONTRIBUTED TO

Face-to-Face

COST Meeting, 5-7 July 2018, Sciences Po Paris, France
2nd Training School of the ETHMIGSURVEYDATA Network ("Using Survey Data on Ethnic and Migrant Minorities’ Integration"), 26-27 October 2018, University of Bucharest, Romania - Natalia C. Malancu served as a trainer
COST Meeting, 22-23 November 2018, University of Porto, Portugal
1st Conference of ETHMIGSURVEYDATA COST Action, 6-8 March 2019, University of Palermo, Italy
Swiss COST project team meeting, 29 March 2019, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Executive WG Meeting and MC Meeting, 8-9 July 2019, Roma Tre University, Italy
Action workshop for WG teams , 29-30 October 2019, LISER, Esch-sur-Alzette/Belval, Luxembourg
Workgroup Plenary Meeting and Policy Dialogue Conference, 9-10 March 2020, CSIC, Brussels, Belgium

Remote (listed are only events with the largest number of participants)

Joint meeting mini-groups WG3 on concepts and indicators, June 3, 2020
Kick-off meeting: Post-harmonisation work pilot on civic and political engagement for ETHMIGSURVEYDATA, May 14, June 2021

ORGANIZED

Swiss COST project Kick-off meeting, 14-15 June 2018, University of Geneva, Switzerland
WG3 Meeting, 6-7 April 2019, University of Geneva, Switzerland
Swiss COST project Closing event, 13 June 2022, University of Geneva, Switzerland

PAPERS and PRESENTATIONS

FACE-TO-FACE CONFERENCES

Who Counts as Muslim

Annual Meeting of the European Sociological Association, August 2019, Manchester, the UK. Session Presentation
Annual Graduate Conference of Migration and Mobility Studies, September 2019, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. Session Presentation

The social-political integration of Muslims in Switzerland: an assessment using propensity score matching

19th IMISCOE Annual Conference , June-July 2022, Oslo, Norway. Session Presentation.

ONLINE/HYBRID CONFERENCES/SEMINARS