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Mobility Circle and Return Migration
A case study of Bulgarian Students
Maria Velizarova
Content
Theoretical overview Mobility circle Theoretical perspectives in the return
migration studies Emigration in Bulgaria – data and its
absence Case study
Sample overview Motivation in the different mobility stages Sustainability of the return
Conclusions
Theoretical overview
Theoretical perspectives in the return migration studies “The movement of a person returning to his/her country of origin or
habitual residence usually after spending at least one year in another country. This return may or may not be voluntary. Return migration includes voluntary repatriation.” (IML Glossary on Migration; IOM; 2004)
Neoclassical economics (NE) The return is seen as a failure
The new economics of labor migration (NELM) A calculated strategy
Structuralism Return is a question of context
Trans-nationalism Mobility is no impediment anymore
Social network theory Securing the return
Mobility Circle
Decision for Mobility
Situation abroad
Decision for going back
Emigration
Return
Situation at the home
country
Emigration in Bulgaria – data and the its absence Before 1989 there was a restrictive emigration policy in
Bulgaria The net migration flow from 1992 to 2001 is “–177 000” people The most of them were young and in working age, with at
least completed secondary school The primary reason of the emigration was an economic one
Lack of information and difficulties to find the returnees after they are back home No tradition in the data collection and no systematized data No register or no statistical data on national level
Case study
Sample overview
Snowball sample 70 online respondents and 8 in-depth interviews Age: 80% are between 20-30 85,9% were studying before the departure 80% have an University degree and 20% a high
school degree 70% are in Bulgaria not longer than 2 years The 5 most represented countries are Germany,
Austria, USA, Italy and England.
Situation at home before the departure
The corruption and the criminality ( 72%) before the departure were the biggest problems for the respondents
None of the respondents with just high school was satisfied with the economic situation in Bulgaria before their departure.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
InstitutionalsProblemes
Problemes inthe socialsystem
Economicproblems
I agree
so/so
I disagree
Decision for mobility – Push Factors
The big importance of the education as push factor explains the lower rates on economic and family push factors.
The respondents without a foreign university degree were less unsatisfied with the education in Bulgaria. For them the economic problems were more important than for the respondents with a foreign university degree.
0%
10%20%
30%40%
50%60%
70%80%90%
100%
Personaleconomicproblems
Family andnetw ork
Unsatisf ied w iththe education
I agree
so/so
I disagree
Decision for mobility – Pull Factors
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Bettereconomicsituation
Family andnetwork
Goodeducation
possibilities
Geographicclose toBulgaria
I agree
so/so
I disagree
The better economic situation in the foreign country was stronger motivation for the respondents without a foreign university degree than the one with.
For the respondents with a foreign university degree was the family and network abroad not so important, that for the respondents without such.
The economic pull factors were mostly important for the returnees from Austria (72%), USA (71%) and Germany (37,5%)
83% of the returnees from Germany were totally motivated to study abroad. By the returnees from Austria 36% were totally and 27% were mostly motivated to study abroad. For the USA returnees this proportion was 57% to 20%.
It can be expected that another motivation, like good job or good payment, is playing more important role than the education motive in those two countries.
Prearrangements for mobility actions
Migration prearrangements
Good informed
Knowledge of the language
Job Savings Place to live
Scholarship
81% 51% 13% 69% 52% 17%
89% were financially supported from their families. Just 52% from the respondents found a place to live before
their departure. This result rise the question: Where were staying the rest 48% at their first days abroad, and if the networks abroad was not underestimate as a factor for the choice of emigration country.
Situation abroad and migration experience
60% stayed abroad between 1 and 5 years, which is considered as a critical stage in one's emigration life
64% were coming to Bulgaria during their stay abroad 2 or more times an year and 31% once a year.
Situation abroad and migration experience
0%
10%20%30%
40%50%60%70%
80%90%
100%
Personaleconomicproblems
Residenceproblems
Absence ofsocial network
I agree
so/so
I disagree
The respondents with foreign degree have less economic problems abroad than the rest.
The respondents with residence problems were mostly foreign graduates.
The younger respondents and the one without foreign degree felt the absence of social network stronger than the rest.
Decision for going back home
The remoteness is not playing a significant role for the decision of returning to Bulgaria.
Family and network are more important for the respondents with just a high school degree.
Better economic situation and possibilities
Family and network0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Stimmt mich
teils/teils
Stimmt nicht
I agree
so/so
I disagree
Situation back home
24% are not good economic reintegrated – 68,8% are women The data confirmed the positive relation between economic
reintegration and the length of stay in Bulgaria. The longer the returnees are in Bulgaria, the better is their
economic reintegration.
Satisfaction with the personal economic situation
Very good Relative good Bad
50% 26% 24%
Sustainability
50% of the returnees shown a high potential for further mobility
All of the respondents from the in-depth interviews said they didn’t want to stay in Bulgaria and they are using the good situation in the country to earn experience, to make a career and to reach a good position in a few years. To do so abroad as they said will take much longer. They were making plans to reach their goals and good positions in a few years and to go abroad but on a higher position and with better standard of living than before.
Return-migration typology
Using the theoretical perspectives given from Cassarinio, there could be recognized the four main types of returnees.
According to the description of the returnees in this sample, they are mostly corresponding to the “Return of innovation”, where both the relations to the home and to the foreign countries are strong.
Reintegration in Bulgaria
Strong Weak
Integration abroad
Strong “Return of innovation” “Unsustainable return”
Weak “Return of conservatism” “Return of failure”
Conclusions
Education and economic reasons for migration
No strong push factors to return back to Bulgaria
Strong attachment to the network in Bulgaria
Good economic reintegration
Big potential for further mobility
