A new report published by IOM and by the European research and
consulting company Eurasylum explores some of the key issues, at a
policy and practical level, relating to the design, implementation
and outcome of public evaluation systems in the field of migration
policy.

"One of the key objectives of the report is to promote a better
understanding of the complex challenges that policymakers face when
they seek to assess the impact of migration policies at a national
and international level," says IOM's Head of Research Frank Laczko.
"Another is to promote a better exchange of information on current
policy evaluation approaches and methodologies, as there is
currently no forum dedicated to this important policy aspect."

The report provides a comprehensive review of the ways migration
policies are evaluated in several European Union member states, the
United States, Canada, the European Commission, IOM and the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It notes that
despite growing interest among governments, there is currently no
straightforward methodology for quantifying the impact of migration
policies. Furthermore, despite widespread calls on the need to
integrate evaluation at every stage of the policy cycle, there are
still very few established procedures at national and international
levels. 

The authors of the report also emphasize the fact that migration
policies shouldn't be evaluated solely in economic terms as
policymakers have to take into account the linkages between
migration and other key issues such as human rights, public health
and international security. 

Among the report's key recommendations is the need to strengthen
capacity-building in migration policy evaluation, in order to
improve existing migration management systems. The report also
calls upon the systematic sharing of information on innovative
practices in the fields of migration and asylum and suggests
officials should be trained to better understand migration policy
evaluation techniques and approaches.

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title="">"Assessing the Costs and Impacts of Migration Policy: an
International Comparison" is available online.

For more information, please contact:

Frank Laczko

IOM Geneva

Tel: + 41 22 717 9416

E-mail: "mailto:flaczko@iom.int">flaczko@iom.int