Cross-Border Commuting and Transformational Dynamics in Europe: What Is the Link?

Abstract

This chapter discusses cross-border commuting as a form of mobility that is structured by multiple social transformation processes. Cross-border commuting has gained increasing attention in migration research by identifying and explaining new patterns of transnational mobility and its effects on the socio-economic status, well-being or emerging forms of transnational agency and belonging. To address its effects on social transformation, it is crucial to understand commuting practices relative to the changing regional and border dynamics in which cultural, political and economic asymmetries play a significant role. This is particular relevant for east-west circular migration in the intra-European context, often marked by long-lasting regional disparities. The emergence of cross-border governance in the form of Euroregions is a crucial example for the institutionalization of stimulated regional cooperation along the national borders within the EU. The Central European Region is a notable example of this development: Here, increasing cross-border commuting is framed in multiple ways by on-going societal transformations resulting both from European enlargement processes and the significant post-socialist reconfiguration of economic, political and legal institutions. With empirical reference to a current study in the Central European Region, the chapter discusses emerging types, patterns, and sequences of cross-border commuting strategies as crucial for border-overlapping intra-European socially and symbolically integrated transnational labor markets.