Search

The Handbook will provide a conceptual framework for the assessment of the social and economic impact of foreign immigration in mountain and rural areas together with an overview of the set of methods adopted in the MATILDE project to carry out the assessment at the territorial level. Specific focus is being placed on the action-research approach adopted in the case studies., and the challenges faced therein amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-depth analysis of Matilde's case studies and the local variations of the evaluation processes complete the volume.

This report provides the data collection framework to assess, from a regional/territorial perspective, the impacts of Third Country Nationals (TCNs) in European rural and mountain areas. The data collection framework, hereinafter MATILDE Matrix, provides guidance for the multilevel (EU-aggregate, national, regional and local level) and multidimensional (social, economic, territorial) impact assessment to be conducted in Work package 3 (Social impact assessment of migration), Work package 4 (Economic impact assessment of migration) and Work package 5 (Implementation of MATILDE toolbox in rural and mountain case study regions). The MATILDE matrix combines migration-specific indicators with indicators on economic growth, employment, access to services, and indicators that consider the urban/rural and mountain linkages and the transformations brought about in rural/mountain regions as a result of migration processes. &nbsp

This report provides an overview of the processes of immigration in European rural and mountain areas, i.e. labour, forced, student, family and amenity/lifestyle migration. For this purpose, Section A presents a literature review of migration studies from various disciplines of the social sciences, e.g. demography, economy, geography, sociology and regional studies. Section A further presents the prevailing immigration processes, including a diachronic perspective, as well as the framework for the description of MATILDE regions based on socio-economic, socio-demographic and territorial indicators. Finally, MATILDE regions are portrayed in terms of immigration of TCNs and spatial characteristics. In Section B, country and regional profiles are provided. As a basis for understanding current developments in MATILDE regions, for each region, the relevance of immigration phenomena and specific migration and integration policies in a given MATILDE country are presented from a historical perspective. Then, demographic, economic and migration-related developments in MATILDE regions are illustrated by means of a collection of statistical data from EUROSTAT and National Statistical Offices. As a conclusion, in Section C, patterns of immigration of TCNs to MATILDE countries and regions are classified in light of wider structural transformations.