Migration, Spatial Mobility, and Living Arrangements: An Introduction

Abstract

The introductory chapter briefly describes the fragmentation of research activities in recent decades which try to understand the causes and consequences of human spatial mobility. Traditionally, research on spatial mobility is considered to be a separate field from migration studies, which is dominated by the study of international migration and integration research. Instead of this separation, we propose a framework that integrates the study of internal and international spatial mobility by defining basic concepts of different types of mobility and the functions they may fulfil. Spatial mobility, regarded as a tool for improvement of welfare production, has two primary functions: bridging distances and improving the living environment. The interdependence between family dynamics and spatial mobility both the positive and negative consequences of spatial mobility on family dynamics and the impacts of family dynamics such as life-course transitions on mobility is also discussed. The final section introduces ten original research articles addressing three major fields of research on the relationships among different types of spatial mobility, family dynamics and living arrangements. The first three chapters primarily concern the question how international migration and family formation affect each other. The second part consists of three chapters focusing on the consequences of various forms of work-related mobility on family life and couple relationships. The last part of the volume comprises four chapters that scrutinize the relationships between specific life-course transitions, such as parental divorce or retirement, and different forms of mobility.