PACES Experts in Algeria, Ethiopia and Nigeria

Background

This data collection is part of the PACES project (Making migration and migration policy decisions amidst societal transformations), which seeks to understand how societies change, how people perceive such change and how these lived experiences shape aspirations to stay or migrate. To capture the long-term changes in the societies where we interviewed residents and migrants, we interviewed local experts who either studied the city or lived in the city for a long time and could describe and explain important moments of change.

Purpose To gather information about important social changes in the cities where we carried out our research. To obtain key insights of the political, economic, infrastructural, demographic, technological and cultural shifts that shaped each city. Data Collection and

Methods

Interviews carried out by the lead researcher alone or with an interpreter if language support was necessary. If the expert agreed, the interview was recorded with an audio recorder or with a smartphone. Audio files were transcribed or summary notes were written.

Research Limitations We interviewed experts who we were able to identify through the help of a local informant. We aimed for a combination of experts who studied the cities and older residents who had lived through social changes. In Kebribeyah (Ethiopia) we primarily interviewed people with the lived experience or who operated in the city and had specific expertise, while in Nigeria we accessed primarily experts and university faculty.

Data Structure and Relationships Between Files One file per interview, consisting of 16 Microsoft Word documents and two M4A audio files. To support the FAIR principles, long-term preservation, and future accessibility, the source files are additionally stored in alternative, preservation-oriented formats that are more suitable for sustainable archival management and interoperability. The preservation formats are retained alongside the original files to ensure the continued availability and usability of the content over time.

Each file constitutes a self-contained, independently manageable archival object and can be accessed, processed, and preserved independently of the other files. No dependencies between individual files are required for their interpretation or use. Value of the data for potential reuse The data collected has value for researchers interested in reconstructing the history of these cities primarily from unofficial sources.

Interviewees also make the point of what was the situation in the city at the time of the interview, which could be valuable for future research on these cities. Results Rich descriptions of social changes in five cities in Algeria, Ethiopia and Nigeria with reflections on the situation in 2024-2025. Conclusion The data in this dataset are valuable for selected group of researchers interested in social change in these cities or, in the future, historians needing records of long-term change in the cities explored in this research.

Access status : Closed Access Data availability : The dataset is not accessible. The repository record provides metadata only about the dataset.