Research Institute on Population and Social Policies

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National
Research
Council

Institute for Research
on Population
and Social Policies

User lock Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn

National
Research
Council

Institute for Research
on Population
and Social Policies

CNEL Report 2024 – Demography and Workforce

In “CNEL Report 2024 – Demography and Workforce" Corrado Bonifazi e Angela Paparusso analyze the growing impact of immigration on Italian demography and economy, highlighting how migratory flows are essential to sustain the country's labor market.

With a constantly aging population and a declining workforce, immigration emerges as a key factor for demographic renewal and the strengthening of the production system.

Bonifazi and Paparusso propose more effective migration policies and integration strategies that can strengthen the positive contribution of immigrants, promoting greater social cohesion and more sustainable management of human resources.

To learn more, you can consult the Full report and read the news on the CNEL website.

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Presentation of the book “First to the Italians”

Thursday 14th November, 14.30pm

G. Marconi Library – CNR, Piazzale Aldo Moro 7, Rome

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The book Social history of Italian emigration was awarded

The book Social history of Italian emigration. From Unification to today, by Enrico Pugliese and Mattia Vitiello and published by Il Mulino, received the Migrated Memories Award 2024, from the Municipality of Castelluccio Inferiore.

The volume deals with the history of emigration of Italians abroad with a historical-sociological approach, highlighting the importance that emigration has in the changes in our country.

Watch the interview with the authors and read the review of The poster.

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World Refugee Day

On World Refugee Day we remember the shared Statement on migration promoted by the Convention of the Italian Network of UNESCO Chairs, of which the CNR-IRPPS researcher Angela Paparusso is a member

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Scholars at Risk

IRPPS joins with CNR in Scholars at Risks, an international network that promotes protection activities for scholars in danger, advocacy and training for academic freedom. A course on "Guidelines for the reception of scholars at risk", necessary for those wishing to actively participate in the network, is planned.

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demographic-aging-migrations-family-models

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Demographic ageing, migrations and new family models

Interview with Angela Paparusso, demographics in the research group Populations and Migrations. 11 July 2023 (World Population Day)

Speaking of population, there are several "records" that have been set in the last year worldwide…

One was certainly the surpassing of 2022 billion inhabitants of the Earth at the end of 8, which occurred with a global population growth of less than 1%, while it is expected to exceed 9 billion inhabitants by 2050.

This means that we have a world divided in half, in which there are countries that are growing at a decidedly sustained speed - in this context, an important event was the overtaking of India in terms of numbers compared to China - compared to another part of the world, mainly western countries, which instead records a negative growth.

This is what is happening, for example, in Italy…

This is a negative growth determined by demographic aging, which is linked on the one hand to the increase in life expectancy of men and women and, on the other, to the reduction in fertility. In Italy the total fertility rate, for example, is 1,3 children per woman, in a European context where fertility does not exceed 2,1 children per woman, the so-called "replacement threshold" for which the couple leaves inheritance itself, giving birth to a little more than two children per couple.

What are the consequences of demographic ageing?

Demographic aging in itself is not a problem, because we live longer and tend to try to live better. However, this phenomenon has consequences that mainly concern the issue of economic sustainability: the population of working age is decreasing and the segment of the population that will contribute to the pensions of tomorrow's elderly is thinning out.

Another aspect is linked to the territory. There are areas of the country that are undergoing a process of depopulation, in Sardinia or the inland areas of Southern Italy, where fertility is usually lower than in Northern Italy.

We often talk about the relationship between demographic aging, new family models and migrations…

Family models have changed compared to the past, migrations as far as we are concerned are a factor that cannot reverse this trend but certainly can, and has already in the past, mitigated demographic aging. It does so with populations that have a younger demographic structure and which, at least initially, have a higher number of children even if the tendency is then to adapt to the demographic structures in which people live.

Why can migrations only mitigate but not reverse the dynamics of demographic ageing?

Let's take the case of Italy, a very large number of migrants would be needed, which is not realistic and perhaps not even too sustainable from different points of view. But also because the emigrated populations adapt. Always thinking of Italy which, contrary to what is believed, is the destination of a migration especially from Eastern Europe of women who come to Italy at the end of childbearing age, while it is often only a transit country for populations coming from countries that are experiencing a population explosion that creates a window of opportunity for these people to ask for opportunities, resources and job instruction across national borders. This makes us understand the structural nature of the migratory phenomenon, characterized by demographic issues downstream and upstream.

What can politics do?

It would be desirable for politics to be able to frame both migration and fertility in a long-term perspective.

Migration is not something we suffer but it is a constitutive trait of our reality, which can help us buffer a crisis situation that we are also experiencing at the population level. This would mean opening legal avenues of migration to ensure that people do not try to insinuate themselves into the folds of systems that close the access doors. In the same way, more attention should be paid to an often underestimated issue which is that of emigration, for which many young people, but not only them, go abroad not only for study but also for work reasons.

The same goes for the problem of fertility. Politics should consider that in order to reverse certain trends, it is not enough to give economic incentives but long-term policies must be implemented for the more widespread dissemination of services that help couples, families, to have children and above all to balance private and working life .

For example?

Our studies have shown that only by making nursery schools and childcare services available in a more capillary way can there actually be a small increase in fertility. Just as it would help a more equal division of roles in the family. A theme that is not a matter of the individual but that must be conveyed more at the level of public debate.

Curated by Monia Torre

Read also:
- Social informatics and population – Interview with Patrizia Grifoni
- Population and economy – interview with Daniele Archibugi

 

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3 perspectives on World Population Day

On the occasion of World Population Day, we have gathered three different points of view on the study of population in our Institute.

With Angela Paparusso, demographer within the Population and Migration group, we talked about demographic ageing, family patterns and migrations.
With Patrizia Grifoni, engineer of the Social Informatics and Techology Assessment group, we focused on the different social implications in diffusion of communication and information technologies (ICT).
We asked Daniele Archibugi, economist in the Globalisation, research and innovation group, about the current link between demographic dynamics and economy.

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Populations and migrations

POPULATIONS AND MIGRATIONS

Population and its dynamics represent a central factor in economic and socio-cultural issues. The diversity of demographic structures and dynamics justify the attention on these emerging problems, on their causal matrices, on their consequences. The need to respond to the resulting demand for intervention and to govern future dynamics with a preventive perspective requires the support of population studies. Furthermore, migratory dynamics are characterizing themselves as one of the key elements in the evolutionary processes of Western societies and beyond. This happens both for supranational realities, as well as for national, regional and local ones. Finally, phenomena such as the aging of the population, changes in gender and generational relations, the interconnections between emigration and immigration processes have a great impact on society. Therefore, these aspects of the demographic structure are of significant interest to researchers and policy makers. This line of research aims to link these different aspects to try to build a unitary and comprehensive interpretative framework and to highlight the common elements.

The topics of interest derive from the project lines and concern all demographic and migratory themes. As regards the former, the study of population dynamics, at various territorial levels, is emphasized, due to their consequences on the management of the territory and local policies.

Among the latter we must mention: the migratory dynamics at the international level with particular attention to the motivations, aspirations and decision-making processes underlying the choice to migrate; migration, integration and reception policies; the different aspects of foreign immigration in Italy; Italian emigration; the phenomena of internal mobility and the dynamics of urbanization. Studies are also conducted on diasporas and the increase of qualitatively different perspectives in the study of migration within the context of globalization and multiculturalism, with particular attention to the historical reconstruction of the Greek diaspora and the qualitative investigation of the second Hellenic generation in Italy.

The complexity of migration and demographic processes is addressed through quantitative and qualitative scientific analyzes carried out by a multidisciplinary research group (demography, urban and labor sociology; geography and social anthropology).

Participants:

Maria G. Caruso, Massimiliano Crisci, Stefano degli Uberti, Frank Heins, Angela Paparusso, Andrea Pelliccia and Mattia Vitiello. The associates Giuseppe Gesano and Salvatore Strozza. Research fellows: Daniele De Rocchi, Giacomo Panzeri

Recent publications:

Ambrosetti E., & Paparusso A. (2020). What are the Main Factors Associated with Immigrants' Subjective Well-being in Italy? Evidence from Self-reported Life Satisfaction. International migration. Doi: 10.1111 / imig.12780

Ambrosetti E., & Paparusso A. (2019). Migrants or refugees? The evolving governance of migration flows in Italy during the “refugee crisis. Revue européenne des migrations internationales, 34, 157-171. Doi: 10.4000 / oars. 9565

Archibugi D., Cellini M., & Vitiello M. (2021). Refugees in the European Union: from emergency alarmism to common management. Journal of contemporary European studies. Doi: 10.1080 / 14782804.2021.1912718.

Benassi F., Bonifazi C., Heins F., Licari F., & Tucci E. (2020). Population Change and International and Internal Migration in Italy, 2002-2017: Ravenstein Revisited. Comparative Population Studies, 44, (Sep. 2020), 497-531. Doi: 10.12765 / CPoS-2020-16

Benassi F., Heins F., Lipizzi F., & Paluzzi E. (2018). Measuring residential segregation of selected foreign groups with aspatial and spatial evenness indices. A case study. In Perna C., Pratesi M., & Ruiz-Gazen A. (eds), Studies in Theoretical and Applied Statistics. SIS 2016, Salerno, Italy, June 8-10. (Springer Proceedings in Mathematics & Statistics 227). Cham: Springer International Publishing. 189-199

Birindelli AM, & Bonifazi C. (2020). Nora Federici, the CISP, and the “Roman school” of demography: Internal migration, depopulation, emigration and immigration | Nora federici, the CISP and the “Roman school” of demography: Internal migration, depopulation, emigration and immigration. Emigration Studies, 217, 155-176.

Bonifazi C. (2019). Italian migrations after 1945: The mobility of Italians | Italian migrations after 1945: The mobility of Italians. Emigration Studies, 216, 410-432.

Bonifazi C. (2018). The dynamics of flows. In Lazar, M., Salvati, M., & Sciolla, L. (ed.), Europa. CULTURE AND SOCIETY. Institute of the Italian Encyclopedia, Rome. 547-556

Bonifazi C. (edited by) (2017). Migrazioni e integrazioni nell’Italia di oggi. Rome: IRPPS-CNR.

Bonifazi C., Buonomo A., Paparusso A., Strozza S., & Vitiello M. (2019). La conoscenza dell’italiano e i processi di integrazione. In Cadeddu, ME, & Marras, C. (eds.), Languages, research, communication Focus CNR. Rome: CNR editions. 97-114. Doi: 10.36173/PLURIMI-2019-1

Bonifazi C., Caruso MG, Heins F., Paparusso A., & Panaccione D. (2018).Mobility trajectories: arriving and moving around Italy. In Istat, Report on the life and integration paths of immigrants in Italy. Rome: Istat. 35-51.

Bonifazi C., degli Uberti S., Pelliccia A. and Strozza S. (2019). "The demographic crisis. Families and fertility in Italy: policies and the European context". La Rivista delle Politiche Sociali – special issue, n. 4 (October-December).

Bonifazi C., De Rocchi D., Heins F., & Panzeri G. (2021) Mortality in Local Labor Systems during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Rome: National Research Council - Research Institute on Population and Social Policies. (IRPPS Working papers n. 127/2021).

Bonifazi C., Heins F., & Tucci E. (2021). Dimensions and characteristics of the new Italian emigration. Sociology notebooks. (forthcoming)

Bonifazi C., Heins F., Licari F., & Tucci E. (2020). The regional dynamics of internal migration intensities in Italy. Population, Space and Place (Special issue 'Declining internal migration? Patterns, causes and prospects' Ian Shuttleworth, Tony Champion), e2331. Doi: 10.1002 / psp.2331.

Bonifazi C., & Paparusso A. (2018). Remain or return home: The migration intentions of first-generation migrants in Italy. Population, Space and Place, 25, 2, Doi: 10.1002 / psp.2174.

Canepari E., & Crisci M. (edited by) (2019). Moving Around in Town. Practices, Pathways and Contexts of Intra-Urban Mobility from 1600 to the Present Day. Viella, Rome.

Carella M., & Heins F. (2021) The impact of the Grande Récession on les modèles familiaux des jeunes adultes en Europe du Sud. In Bellis G., Carella M., Léger J.-F., & Parant A. (edited by) Populations et crises en Méditerranée. Milan: Franco Angeli. 89-107.

Crisci M., & Lucciarini S. (2019). Governing Inequalities. Inclusion and Exclusion Processes in the Mediterranean Area, from National to City Levels. Aracne, Rome.

Crisci M., & Protasi MR (2019). Immigration to Rome from 1970 to today. Emigration Studies, 216, 682-698.

degli Uberti, S. (2020). Eine zwiespältige Aufnahmepraxis im italienisch-österreichischen Grenzraum. Die Asylbewerber out of altitude zwischen lokalen Medien und Mikropolitik des Andersseins / An ambiguous welcome on the Italian-Austrian border. Asylum seekers out of quota between local media and micro-politics of otherness, Interculturalität. Studien zu Sprache, Literatur und Gesellschaft, Oktober, 67-82.

degli Uberti, S. (2019). Borders within. An ethnographic take on the reception policies of asylum seekers in Alto Adige / South Tyrol, Anthropological Archive of the Mediterranean, 21, 2

degli Uberti, S. (2019) “Migrating while staying at home”. Mobility practices and migratory imaginaries in Senegal, In Riccio B. (ed.), Mobilità. Ethnographic forays. Milan: Mondadori. 23-63.

Marras C., Cadeddu ME, & Bonifazi C. (edited by) (2020). Virus migration: numbers and languages. CNR editions, Rome. Doi. 10.36173 / PLURIMI-2020-2.

Pugliese E., & Vitiello M. (2020). Emigration from Campania to the Center-North from the post-war period to today. In Colucci, M., & Gallo, S. (edited by) Campania on the move 2020 Report on internal migration in Italy. Bologna: The Mill. 23-43.

Paparusso A. (2019). Immigrant citizenship status in Europe: the role of individual characteristics and national policies. Genus, 75. Doi: 10.1186 / s41118-019-0059-9.

Fur, A. (2021). Ideas for expanding the perspective of migratory networks. Emigration Studies, 221, 139-160.

Pelliccia A., & Raftopoulos R. (2020). "Reconstructing the contemporary Greek diaspora in Italy: Second World War and student mobility", Diaspora Studies, 13: 1, 37-58

Fur A. (2019). "The Internet in a diasporic and transnational context: A case study of a Greek community in Italy", Journal of Greek Media and Culture, 5: 1, 21-44.

Pugliese E., & Vitiello M. (2020). The three cycles of Italian emigration. The Sociological Critique, 215, 55-92.

Vitiello, M. (2020). The common european asylum system (CEAS) after refugee crisis. In Laschi G., Deplano V., & Pes A. (ed.), Europe between Migrations, Decolonization and Integration (1945-1992). Routledge, New York 129-143

Vitiello M. (2019). Italian migrations after 1945: the legal framework. Emigration Studies, 215, 433-452.

Participants

Mattia Vitiello - responsible
Corrado Bonifazi
Maria Girolama Caruso
Massimiliano Crisci
Stefano degli Uberti
Frank Heins
Angela Paparusso
Andrea Pelliccia
Giuseppe Gesano
Michele Santurro
Salvatore Strozza
Other POPMIG projects

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Family and demographic policies: European context and Italian situation - DiPoFam / CNR-IRPPS

FAMILY AND DEMOGRAPHIC POLICIES: EUROPEAN CONTEXT AND ITALIAN REALITY - DIPOFAM / CNR-IRPPS

In the last fifty years the Italian population has undergone profound and radical structural changes connected to some major transformations of the national demographic context: the fall in the birth rate and fertility; new models of family formation; the aging of the population; the evolution of the role of women in society and the growth of foreign immigration. These are some of the main thematic areas addressed in the five reports drawn up by the multidisciplinary research team of the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council and carried out within the collaboration agreement stipulated with the Department for Family policies of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The objective of the Agreement envisaged the in-depth elaboration of the information framework on family policies in Italy and in Europe. In particular, the project aimed to examine the analysis of socio-cultural and anthropological changes that have occurred in the relationship between family models and reproductive models; the evaluation of the condition and effectiveness of the interventions aimed at responding to the prospects of fertility and the social needs of families of immigrant origin.

Ratio 1 - The European and Italian demographic context and the new family reality
Massimiliano Crisci, Maria Girolama Caruso, Frank Heins and Giuseppe Gesano

Ratio 2 - Family and demographic policies in Europe and Italy
Luca Di Censi, Stefano degli Uberti, Andrea Pelliccia and Mattia Vitiello

Ratio 3 - The impact of family and demographic policies in Europe
Corrado Bonifazi and Angela Paparusso

Ratio 4 - Families and reproduction. Socio-cultural models of behavior on fertility
Stefano degli Uberti and Andrea Pelliccia

Ratio 5 - Immigrant families, of foreign and mixed origins
Alessio Buonomo, Salvatore Strozza and Mattia Vitiello

Final relation

Publications:

The demographic crisis. Families and fertility in Italy: policies and the European context, special issue of The Review of Social Policies, 4/2019. Curated by Corrado Bonifazi, Stefano degli Uberti, Andrea Pelliccia and Salvatore Strozza.
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Corrado Bonifazi and Angela Paparusso, Low fertility? Not just an Italian problem. Neodemos, Population, Society and Policies, 11 December 2018.

Joseph Gesano, Reproduction in Italy and its regions in the context of demographic dynamics in Europe, Irpps publishing

National and international public events and initiatives:

Joint Workshop on Family as a Hub for Social Policies 9 -11 October 2019 Rome
https://www.coe.int/en/web/european-social-charter/-/deputy-secretary-general-opens-joint-workshop-on-family-as-a-hub-for-social-policies-in-rome
On the occasion of the international Workshop, the Exective Summary was distributed which collects the main results of the project: "Family and demographic policies: the European context and the Italian situation"

Visit by the Minister for Equal Opportunities and the Family, Elena Bonetti, to the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies
https://www.cnr.it/it/nota-stampa/e-16682/visita-della-ministra-per-le-pari-opportunita-e-la-famiglia-elena-bonetti-all-istituto-di-ricerche-sulla-popolazione-e-le-politiche-sociali

Results and dissemination:

Hearing of Corrado Bonifazi before the Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber as part of the delegation law of the Government to reorganize and strengthen the measures in support of dependent children through the single allowance and the single dowry for services.
Video - https://webtv.camera.it/evento/15177
Conference proceedings
Slides 

The Bill C. 687 presented on 4 June 2018 was transformed into Law no. 46 (1 April 2021), approved on 21 July 2020 and published in the Official Gazette no. 82 of 6 April 2021
Text of the Law: https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/gu/2021/04/06/82/sg/pdf

Participants

Corrado Bonifazi - responsible
Maria Girolama Caruso
Massimiliano Crisci
Stefano degli Uberti
Giuseppe Gesano
Angela Paparusso
Frank Heins
Andrea Pelliccia
John Baptist Sgritta
Salvatore Strozza
Mattia Vitiello
Alessio Buonomo
Luke DiCensi
Other POPMIG projects

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FUME - Future Migration Scenarios for Europe

FUME - FUTURE MIGRATION SCENARIOS FOR EUROPE

The 'Future Migration Scenarios for Europe' focuses on understanding the patterns of migration at multiple levels, from the international over the national and regional to the local level.

Funded by the European Union's Horizon2020 research and innovation program, this three-year project, coordinated by Profs. Henning Sten Hansen and Carsten Kessler from Aalborg University, is formed by 9 partners from 8 European countries and follows a multi-disciplinary approach involving experts from fields such as demography, economics, geography, geoinformatics, sociology, statistics, among others. 

The - Future Migration Scenarios for Europe projects aims to determine both current and future trends of migration by looking at:
• the major factors explaining migrant movement patterns by analysing regional and local circumstances that either attract migrants or ‘push’ potential migrants to move;
• the possible future regional sociodemographic, economic and environmental challenges that may shape future migrant movement patterns in Europe.
Thus, FUME - Future Migration Scenarios for Europewill support planning and policy-making processes at many levels by formulating integrated and coherent visions of how migration to and within Europe might evolve.

The local perspective
Local circumstances play a major role in the migration process, from the decision to migrate through the transit process up to the settlement in the destination countries. Nearly all international migrants generally move to the largest cities in destination countries, either directly, or after one or more internal moves. This is also the case across Europe, where population growth in many cities can be largely attributed to an influx of migrants. At the same time, in countries of origin the largest cities often function as gateways to destinations abroad. Many potential migrants in villages and small towns in origin countries first move to these larger cities before leaving their country. Cities, therefore, both in countries of origin and destination, are significant determinants of global migration and small-scale local knowledge on migration is necessary to avoid misleading results associated with the limitations arising from the use of global or national patterns only. Consequently, a major aspect of the scope and approach of the Future Migration Scenarios for Europe project is to look at specific case areas, combined with an overall analysis of migration patterns within and between these, to create scenarios for how migration may evolve in Europe.

Irpps contributes to FUME - Future Migration Scenarios for Europemainly with a report on the drivers of international migration in Work Package 3 ‘Scenario narratives’ and with two case studies focusing on the urban areas of Senegal and the Rome Metropolitan Area (Città Metropolitana di Roma) in Work Package 6 ‘Perspectives of migration – thematic studies’.

 

Participants

Stefano degli Uberti responsible
Corrado Bonifazi
Maria Girolama Caruso
Massimiliano Crisci
Frank Heins
Angela Paparusso
Andrea Pelliccia
Daniel DeRocchi
Antonio Sanguinetti
Wanda Toffoletti
Mattia Vitiello
Laura Sperandio

Official sites

Future Migration Scenarios for Europe (FUME)
Cordis Europe
Other POPMIG projects

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