The Multiculturalism Policy Index is a scholarly research project that monitors and the evolution of multiculturalism policies across the Western democracies. Under the direction of Profs. Keith Banting and Will Kymlicka, the project is designed to provide information about multiculturalism policies in a standardized format that aids comparative research and contributes to the understanding of state-minority relations. There are three separate indices covering three types of minorities: one index relating to immigrant groups, one relating to historic national minorities, and one relating to Indigenous peoples. Documentation on the adoption (or repeal) of multiculturalism policies relating to these three types of groups across 21 Western countries is freely available through this site for researchers, public officials, journalists, students, activists, and others interested in the topic.
Citation Requirement: When using the Multiculturalism Policy Index please cite it as:
"Multiculturalism Policy Index, http://www.queensu.ca/mcp/, (Include date when data were accessed or downloaded.)"
Rationale
Beginning in the 1960s, a number of Western democracies took a "multicultural turn" in their approach to ethnocultural diversity. In the past, ethnocultural diversity was often seen as a threat to political stability, and hence as something to be discouraged by public policies. Immigrants, national minorities and Indigenous peoples were all subject to a range of policies intended to either assimilate or marginalize them. Today, however, many Western democracies have abandoned these earlier policies, and shifted towards a more accommodating approach to diversity, including the widespread adoption of accommodation policies for immigrant groups, the acceptance of territorial autonomy and language rights for national minorities, and the recognition of land claims and self-government rights for Indigenous peoples. There are deep and enduring disagreements, however, about how widespread this “multicultural turn” has been, and about its effects. Resolving these debates is difficult in the absence of any quantitative measure of the presence or absence of multiculturalism policies across time and across countries.
The “multicultural turn” has been hotly contested. Defenders argue that it has helped to reduce ethnic tensions, promote mutual respect, enhance the participation of minorities, and more generally build more inclusive and just societies. Critics argue that multiculturalism policies entrench and exacerbate ethnic divisions, reduce inter-ethnic solidarity, and perpetuate illiberal practices. Indeed, commentators disagree not just on the effects of these policies, but even on their very existence. While some commentators argue that “we are all multiculturalists now”, others insist that the multicultural turn has been exaggerated, and that the adoption of multiculturalism policies was a limited and passing phenomenon.
One reason for the persistence of these debates is the absence of any quantitative measure of the presence or absence of multiculturalism policies across time and across countries. It is our hope that the Multiculturalism Policy Index available here will provide a useful tool for assessing the social effects of multiculturalism, and for determining how these policies are evolving over time.