Abstract
Debates about indexing immigrant rights focus on two aspects: validity and reliability, on the one hand, and parsimony and dimensionality, on the other. This contribution argues that reliability levels are generally satisfactory. Regarding validity, the measurement of rights should not be confused with the analysis of their institutional and motivational roots. Future research should empirically demonstrate the existence of theoretically assumed dimensions. It is also highly desirable to extend research beyond Western Europe and the Anglo-Saxon immigration countries.
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Notes
Janoski’s (2010) Barrier index shows the lowest correlations with other indices (0.57), whereas the average correlation among the other nationality rights indices is 0.82. Of course, for lack of an objective gold standard, the deviant in such comparisons is not necessarily ‘wrong’. We can conclude, however, that whereas the other indices by and large capture a convergent construct, Janoski’s index seems to only partly measure the same thing.
As an aside, Duyvendak and colleague’s assertion that there was no policy change in favour of the establishment of Islamic schools in the Netherlands between 1980 and 1990 is factually incorrect (see Rath et al, 1996, p. 62).
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Koopmans, R. Indices of immigrant rights: What have we learned, where should we go?. Comp Eur Polit 11, 696–703 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/cep.2013.17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/cep.2013.17