Return Migration Research Articles

Return Migration and Disability by Life Course Stage of Return: Evidence Against the Salmon Bias.

Life course theory points to unique characteristics among older immigrants that may differentiate older age return migration from return at younger ages in terms of health. To investigate how the health of returnees may differ by age-at-return, this analysis compares disability between 3 groups of Mexican adults with a history of migration to the United States: those who return to Mexico before age 50, those who return at 50 and older, and those who remain in the United States at age 50 and older. Data from two nationally representative data sets, the U.S. Health and Retirement Study and the Mexican Health and Aging Study, are combined to create a data set representing Mexicans 50 and older with a history of migration to the United States. Adopting a life course perspective, activity of daily living (ADL) difficulty is compared by return status and age-at-return to account for differential selection into return by life stage. Mexican immigrants who remain in the United States past age 50 have a higher probability of at least 1 ADL compared to those who return to Mexico, regardless of life course timing of return. The immigrant disadvantage persists after adjusting for differences in demographic, childhood, and adult characteristics between groups. These findings are noteworthy because they stand in opposition to hypotheses based on life course and health-selective return migration theories and because they mean that Mexican immigrants remaining in the United States into midlife and older adulthood may be vulnerable to heightened prevalence of disability.

Editorial: Return Migration and Reintegration: Discourses, Policies and Practices

Over the last few years, return migration has received growing attention in both academic and political discourse at the international, regional and national levels. This discourse on return migration is often linked to migrants’ safety and dignity. It was established during the development process of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM), and it helped to unify the position of the various stakeholders involved (Panizzon and Jurt 2023). Even today, it is still being maintained when it comes to supporting member states in implementing the objectives of the GCM (United Nations Network on Migration 2021).

Escaping the ‘diaspora trap’: A narrative of struggle and resilience by an unskilled Zimbabwean migrant in South Africa.

Return migration and reintegration have become the latest points of discussion in the global migration studies literature. These discussions often focus on state level decision making and policy formulation without extended engagement with migrants themselves or paying attention to the everyday individual decisions made by “would-be” returnees. In this paper, we engage the notion of return migration in the African context, arguing that the return of migrants to their countries of origin is often indexed against a successful migration journey or a failed one. Such understanding takes account of structural factors outside the control of the individual migrant such as the material conditions in the origin and host countries as well as the expectations of their families and communities. We use data from a life history account of a male Zimbabwean gardener who typifies the material and cognitive struggles of migration and return. We pay attention to his lived experiences as he struggles to navigate expectations, joblessness, exploitation, and precarious work. We also discuss his resilience and determination to meet his migration goals as he meticulously plans his return to Zimbabwe where he intends to start a farming project. Through studying the experiences of this Zimbabwean migrant, we explore the agency with which he manages to circumvent structural constraints and diaspora entrapment which has been the case for many Zimbabweans in South Africa. While existing evidence indicates that skilled migrants are more prone to fall into the ‘diaspora trap’, this study gives insight into the experiences of unskilled migrants and the tools at their disposal to escape the ‘diaspora trap

CONSEQUENCES OF DEMOGRAPHIC COLLAPSE IN UKRAINE

Zinaida Smutchak 
 E-mail: smutchakzv@gmail.com 
 Doctor of economic sciences, professor, Educational and Scientific Institute of Management and Psychology of State Higher Educational Institution «University of Educational Management», 
 Kyiv, Ukraine
 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6079-9227
 
 Abstract: The article analyzes the demographic situation in Ukraine, which testified to the existence of a deep demographic crisis in Ukraine along with socio-economic problems. The low standard of living, political instability and difficult state conditions caused a dramatic shift in the country's demographic balance. Attention is paid to the problem of migratory activity of the population, in particular forced migration, as a factor influencing the indicators of the demographic situation in the country. Due to the full-scale war caused by russia, millions of women and children were forced to leave the country. It is worth noting, that many years, Ukraine was the main labour donor country for neighboring Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. The consequences for the economy of Ukraine are determined, as well as the main problems relevant for the labour market based on the results of a general analysis of demographic, statistical and analytical information. In any case, depopulation awaits Ukraine - regardless of whether the forced migrants return or not. This means that there will be a shortage of labour in Ukraine, and human capital will be lost. If nothing is changed, in a few years' time, there will be twice as many pensioners in Ukraine as there are working people. That is why the issue of demography should be a priority today and requires urgent measures. The strategy for overcoming the demographic crisis in Ukraine should primarily include two directions: the returning of Ukrainians home from forced emigration; maximum wide-scale work to restore the reproductive potential of the nation.

The overseas background of Chinese returnee energy scientists.

In an attempt to uncover the international affiliations impacting the Chinese energy sector, this study applies the method of Curriculum Vitae Analysis (CV Analysis) to explore the overseas background of Chinese returnee energy scientists. The investigation focuses on a representative group of scientists hailing from China's distinguished "985" project research universities. From the available online CVs, we gathered data and identified the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom as the primary host countries that facilitate the growth and learning of these energy scientists. We also noted a concurrent surge in scientists return to China after acquiring academic and professional experience in prestigious global universities. This study thereby illuminates the evolving patterns of Chinese energy scientists' global mobility and return migration.

Place attachment among rural migrants and returnees: case of Shuangfeng County, China

In the mobile era, place attachment among rural migrants and returnees has become dynamic and diversified. However, research on place attachment to native place among rural migrants and returnees is limited. The focus of previous research has primarily been on the destination place attachment of rural migrants, which makes it difficult to gain a comprehensive understanding of the place attachment among both rural migrants and returnees. This study aims to investigate the state of place attachment to both native and destination places among rural migrants and returnees originating from the same birthplace. It explores their place attachment after migrating from rural areas to cities. A quantitative research approach was adopted, garnering questionnaire responses from 274 rural migrants and returnees, all born in Shuangfeng County, Hunan Province. The questionnaire encompassed a Likert scale for measuring place attachment, as well as sociodemographic statistical information. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to ascertain the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Based on the factor scores of place attachment to both places from migrants and returnees, a two-step cluster analysis identified three types of migrants and two types of returnees. Chi-square tests revealed significant differences among migrants in terms of property ownership, educational level, marital status, presence of children, age at departure, and time away from hometown. The study discovered that, regardless of being a migrant or returnee, the overall attachment to hometown was stronger than that to the current or previously inhabited city. In the context of existing literature primarily concerned with the integration of rural migrants into urban areas, this paper offers a fresh research perspective, highlighting the significance of emotional ties to one’s hometown for rural migrants. The findings of this paper provide direction and a theoretical basis for rural areas to attract return migration and for urban regions to facilitate the integration of migrants.

Components of the Industrial and Personnel Recovery System in War-Affected Regions during the Martial Law in Ukraine

This article focuses on the importance of a methodological approach to building a management system for industrial recovery in regions and the integration of skilled labor into the regional economy even during wartime. The purpose of the article is to provide a scientific justification for the impact of internal and external environments on the regenerative processes in the industrial economy during the period of martial law and after the cessation of hostilities, as components of the system for restoring the industrial potential of regions. A comprehensive and interconnected examination of the challenges facing the state today with the systemic problems of the development of the industrial economy in the pre-war period lays the foundation for successful transformational transformations and the speed of regenerative processes of economic and social recovery. The author claims that the economic-social, economic-ecological and social-ecological components of recovery processes are closely related and affect the final result - industrial recovery today and sustainable development of regions and the state in the future. The author notes that transforming the challenges of the external environment into opportunities in building the industrial recovery system through the application of a management system embodies an additional resource for optimizing and accelerating the regenerative processes in the industrial economy. This requires a broad, comprehensive analysis of the interplay between internal and external environmental factors for transformational changes of external challenges into additional opportunities, thereby enhancing the hidden, existing, and underutilized potential of regions through the construction of quality coordination processes in the industrial recovery system. The article elaborates on the theoretical and methodological justification for the impact of effective management and coordination approaches on the restoration processes to achieve the ultimate goal – the recovery of the industrial economy and sustainable development of the region, determining optimal models for operational monitoring of process progress, studying the impact of cutting-edge technologies on recovery processes, as well as overcoming technological gaps and creating conditions for the return of skilled migrants to Ukraine.

The rise of home-returning women's entrepreneurship in China's rural development: Producing the enterprising self through empowerment, cooperation, and networking

The phenomenon of return migration is on the rise in China as more young rural women are returning to their home communities for entrepreneurship and small business development, reshaping power structures and social identities in rural areas. This study explores the strategies of rural women entrepreneurs (RWE) in inventing and transforming themselves through personal training, professional education, capacity building, gaining individual success, and building confidence. The study draws on data collected in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, Southwestern China in June 2019 and August 2021. Specifically, the study examines how RWE strategically network with various resources, skills, knowledge, and social capital to negotiate multiple heterogeneous actors in terms of resistance, resilience, and adaptation. Additionally, the study showcases the crucial influence RWE have on maintaining family households, economic benefits, cultural inheritance, and community development.The study provides a case study to understand the life experience, capabilities, and network strategies of rural return migrant women in a fiercely competitive market and complex society, exploring the leadership of women entrepreneurs and the process of how they actively create social value and facilitate social change. This research enriches the scholarship of women's entrepreneurship in China, advancing broader debates including rural renaissance, women's competence, ability construction, gender equality, and social harnessing. It highlights how Chinese rural women use their political and social skills to network multiple actors, reflecting the dramatic social change and cultural shifts in China. The study's ethnographic findings suggest that new paths are needed for entrepreneurship to support these emerging social and economic changes in rural communities.

Narratives of Italian Transatlantic (re)migration, 1897–1936

Remigration is typically envisioned as the final stage of the migration experience, a one-way movement from the host country to the country of origin. This article offers a novel, intimate view of historical return migration as a more complex and discursive process. The case study is Italian American migrants at the turn of the twentieth century, one of the groups which – according to historical statistics – was most actively engaged in Transatlantic remigration; more recent readings, however, show that many of these returnees eventually re-emigrated to the US. Using for the first time immigrant newspapers against the baseline of the Italian public discourse, the article analyzes Italian migrants’ own accounts of remigration as a way to access the more subjective dimension of migration. The integration of text mining and Critical Discourse Analysis will show that migrants were experiencing migration as a sense of identity crisis manifested through feelings of being misunderstood, rejected and unappreciated. These results indicate a less material reading of (re)migration, that is beyond economic reasons, and that for many individuals remigration was a bi-directional movement, only fully concluded when they were no longer experiencing a sense of identity crisis, be it in their homeland or the host society. The article will argue that this was the visible outward sign of a much more profound issue: the Italian Government’s view of (r)emigration –mainly through the lens of domestic economic advantage –deeply underestimated the complexity of migration as a social phenomenon and as a profoundly changing psychological experience. In the long run, this error of judgment deeply damaged Italy as many of thoseritornatifelt misunderstood and disillusioned and crossed the Atlantic again, this time never to return.

Introducing the role of the municipality of residence in studying the secondary migration of international migrants. Evidence from Lombardy (Italy)

AbstractSecondary internal and international movements of migrants are receiving increasing attention in Europe while research has so far focused on the characteristics of individuals who remigrate or plan to re‐emigrate, the attributes of the place that secondary migrants aim to leave have been less studied compared to other personal characteristics. This knowledge gap is primarily due to the fact that detailed information on the municipality of residence is largely unavailable in nationwide sample surveys. To fill this gap, after considering the time since migrants' arrival in Italy and previous internal mobility, we analyse the relationship between the characteristics of the municipality where migrants live and short‐term migration intentions of return, onward and internal migration in a competing risk framework. We focus on ethnic concentration (community hotspots and coldspots) and classification into central and marginal areas as critical characteristics of municipalities. We used a unique pooled data set that includes seven cross‐sectional surveys conducted between 2010 and 2016 by the Regional Observatory for Integration and Multiethnicity in the Northern Italian region of Lombardy. Municipal characteristics are strongly related to migrants' intentions: migrants who intend to move internally or to a third country are more likely live in urban, suburban, intermediate and peripheral areas and in the mountains. In contrast, the intention to return is not correlated with the characteristics of the municipality. The concentration of co‐nationals is also uncorrelated with short‐term migration intentions. We discuss the limitations of using a concentration indicator to study the relationship with secondary mobility.

Monsoonal wet season influences the migration tendency of a catadromous fish (barramundi Lates calcarifer).

Many animals exhibit partial migration, which occurs when populations contain coexisting contingents of migratory and resident individuals. This individual-level variation in migration behaviour may drive differences in growth, age at maturity and survival. Therefore, partial migration is widely considered to play a key role in shaping population demography. Otolith chemistry and microstructural analysis were used to identify the environmental- and individual-specific factors that influence migratory behaviour in the facultatively catadromous barramundi (Lates calcarifer) at two distinct life history stages: firstly, as juveniles migrating upstream into fresh water; and secondly, as adults or sub-adults returning to the estuarine/marine spawning habitat. Monsoonal climate played an important role in determining the migration propensity of juveniles: individuals born in the driest year examined (weak monsoon) were more than twice as likely to undergo migration to freshwater than those born in the wettest (strong monsoon) year. In contrast, the ontogenetic timing of return migrations to the estuary by adults and sub-adults was highly variable and not strongly associated with the environmental parameters examined. We propose that scarce resources within saline natal habitats during lower rainfall years may provide an ecological incentive for juveniles to migrate upstream, whereas more abundant resources in higher rainfall years may promote resident life histories within estuaries. We conclude that inter-annual climatic variation, here evidenced by monsoonal strength, likely plays an important role in driving the persistence of diversified life histories within wild barramundi populations.

Change and stability of migration intentions. Evidence from Italy

AbstractDue to a lack of relevant data, very few empirical studies have examined the changes in and stability of secondary migration intentions. We aim to fill this gap by analysing return migration intentions among international migrants in Italy. Data are drawn from the cross‐sectional SCIF survey conducted by ISTAT in 2011–2012. Our findings reveal that migration intentions at the beginning of the migratory experience tend to differ from those measured at more advanced migration stages (i.e. at the time of the survey). In particular, intentions to return seem less stable than intentions to stay. When confirming intentions to return or remain, critical factors include financial stability, family situation and ties with the country of origin and destination. Additionally, having an Italian partner, a partner living in Italy, and a positive self‐assessed family financial condition are positively associated with transitioning from a temporary plan to a permanent settlement intention.

Subjective Well-Being and Mental Health of Puerto Rican Post-Disaster Migrants

Prior research has explored the relationship between disasters and the personal well-being of migrants in the United States. The current study retrospectively evaluates the subjective well-being of Puerto Rican post-disaster migrants before migration, after migration (and after the return migration to Puerto Rico of a small subset of the sample), and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing both Wilcoxon Signed Rank and independent samples t-tests, we find that stateside and return migrants experience declines in self-reported mental health after migration and return migration (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and during the pandemic. In addition, we find that return migrants report worse mental health, more negative emotions, and fewer positive emotions than migrants who remained stateside. Our findings have implications for our understanding of Puerto Ricans’ subjective well-being and mental health. Directions for future research on post-disaster climate migration, and particularly the subjective well-being of return migrants, are discussed.

Motives and areas of diaspora philanthropic donation; A study on diaspora community from Kerala, India

Background The purpose of this study was to examine to investigate the motivations behind philanthropic actions among diaspora respondents and gain insights into the areas where the diaspora community channels their donation. Methods The study employed a quantitative research method, collecting primary data from 291 return migrants and migrants on vacation in Malappuram district, Kerala. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to gather quantitative data. Descriptive statistics were utilized to analyze the percentage distribution of philanthropic motives and areas of donation. Cross-tabulations were conducted to explore the relationship between motives for donation and the areas of philanthropic donation based on respondents' background characteristics. Result The study revealed that spiritual and religious motivation, cultural and community affiliation, ethical response, and seriousness of the problem were the major motives inspiring philanthropic activities. Religious and cultural affiliation were higher among older age groups, individuals with lower educational attainment, and those employed in unskilled sectors. Healthcare and medical services, house construction and rehabilitation, education, poverty alleviation, and social welfare activities were the primary areas where the diaspora allocated their resources. Bivariate analysis showed that donors in the below-45 age group had a significantly higher percentage of donations towards education, while those in the above-45 group significantly allocated a higher proportion than their counterparts to religious and social welfare initiatives. Conclusion This study identified diverse motives for philanthropy, with religious and cultural affiliation being prominent. Donations were primarily directed towards healthcare, housing, education, poverty alleviation, and social welfare. The significance of the health sector as a recipient of philanthropic support was evident. These findings emphasize the importance of developing a policy framework that recognizes and supports the different motives and areas of philanthropic giving.

Changes in the Croatian migration system: conceptualising the complexities of migrations, 1990-2023

ABSTRACT This article explores the recent history of labour migration in post-independence Croatia. The time period under investigation is 1990–2023, which encompasses three decades during which the country has experienced complex migrations, in particular of labour migrants and refugees. The article’s ambition is twofold. First, it identifies changing elements of the Croatian migration system, exploring how it is embedded in the wider regional and international migration systems. Second, it proposes a pioneering typology of Croatian migrations and discusses their drivers. The article argues that the Croatian migrations have been significantly affected by the country’s changing affiliations to neighbouring states and the European Union. Several historical, socioeconomic and political junctions have enabled, driven and hampered labour migrations and other migratory flows of the Croatian migration system. It is evident that the war of independence, the poor socioeconomic situation in the post-war period and increased opportunities to emigrate to more developed parts of Europe have all contributed to the depopulation of Croatia and to ongoing changes in its migration system. It is also asserted that understanding the Croatian migration system necessitates a long-term perspective on the interactions between immigrant and emigrant flows, and on how they overlap with return migrations.

COVID-19 return migration phenomena: experiences from South and Southeast Asia

ABSTRACTAcademic interest for the scholarship on return migration has received new vigour owing in part to the massive return migration waves observed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This special issue consolidates studies conducted in the aftermath of COVID-19 that study return migration experiences from South and Southeast Asia. These studies harness primary as well as secondary data in order to document what happened to migrants as a result of lockdowns and related measures of immobility, the flow of migrants when borders reopened, and the condition since return to their countries of origin. Despite the fact that we draw from the context of the pandemic-induced return migration phenomena, the insights generated by our special issue are important for the scholarship of return migration at large.

Return migration and in-situ urbanization of 79 migrant sending counties in China: Characteristic and driving factors

As the country with the largest number of migrants, China has shown a trend of return migration in recent years. However, the characteristics and mechanism of emerging in-situ urbanization of migrants have not been fully revealed. We construct an analytical framework considering China's situation based on the push-pull theory in the urban-rural dichotomy. Using cell phone data from 79 migrant-sending counties, we calculate the in-situ urbanization rate and apply a simple regression model to analyze its driving factors. The findings show that rural income and fiscal investments are the main pull factors, while economic slowdown in cities acts as push factors.In-situ urbanization is the dual effect of improving living standards and reducing urban employment opportunities. To support China's efforts in New-type Urbanization, improving living standards and expanding off-farm employment opportunities of migrant-sending counties are suggested.

Should I stay or should I go? Analysing returnee overseas Filipino workers’ reintegration measures given the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACTThe paper sought to determine if the varied forms of assistance to returnee overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during this COVID-19 pandemic prompt them to stay home or return overseas. This mixed methods study combined a logistic regression of a large-scale survey of returnee migrant workers (N = 8,266, done by the International Organization for Migration) and a documentary analysis of efforts by the Philippines to assist returnees. It was found that the Philippine government's migration and non-migration agencies have laid out the red carpet to provide multifarious economic and non-economic forms of assistance to returnee OFWs. However, logistic regression results reveal that in spite of business capital, skills training and income support given to returnees, amount differentials between local and overseas earnings plus pandemic-induced income disruptions propel their desires to repeat their overseas labour migration. The paper methodologically contributes the logical connection between logistic regression results with the running documented efforts of the Philippine government for returnees as part of that Southeast Asian country's overall COVID-19 containment strategy. Meanwhile, as overseas work and remittances provide enduring solutions for returnees and their families to move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippine government's instrumentalities may have to reconfigure the country's overall approach to migrant reintegration.

Disgraceful return: Gulf migration and shifting national narratives amid COVID-19

ABSTRACTSeveral Asian countries that encourage international migration of labour call their emigrants ‘national heroes and heroines’ because of their contributions to foreign currency reserves and subsequent national development. However, the massive involuntary return amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the health risk associated with returning from virus-affected regions, such as the Gulf states, call the development narratives of migrants and migrant remittances into question. This study examines the experiences of Gulf return migrants in Bangladesh, focusing on their arrivals at the airport, their travels home, their receptions at the origin communities, their financial hardship upon return and the shifting development narratives in the origin country. The paper draws on primary data, collected through interviews of Gulf returnees in Bangladesh between 2020 and 2021. This study finds that the image of migrants as ‘national heroes’ is not only challenged during the pandemic but replaced almost overnight by a new one, such as ‘COVID-19 super-spreaders’. This research reports that migrants confront with unpleasant circumstances during their return migration process that render their return to their country of origin disgraceful. The paper stresses developing policy measures to protect involuntary returnees from victimisation and disgraceful circumstances.

The facts of return migration in the wake of COVID-19: a policy framework for reintegration of Pakistani workers

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates the adverse impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on overseas migration of Pakistani workers - both outflows and return flows. The key objective is to propose a policy framework for successful reintegration of return migrants in their origin communities. The findings reveal that around 2 million overseas Pakistanis have been affected due to COVID pandemic; 1.6 million could not go abroad and another 0.3 to 0.4 million had to return back only from the Middle East. The reintegration measures by the Government of Pakistan were mainly made on a smaller scale and most of the returnees lack information on governmental support and follow-up mechanisms. Our proposed reintegration policy framework suggests that intending or potential migrants and their families need to be educated about their reintegration or resettlement in home communities when they plan for overseas employment. The prudent use of remittances by directing them to productive investment will not only ensure successful reintegration of returning workers but will also promote entrepreneurship in the country, creating more job opportunities. The support by the government and enabling factors (district-level opportunities) will ensure various aspects of reintegration, including economic self-sufficiency, social stability, and psychosocial well-being of return migrations.