Selectivity, social ties and spatial mobility : an analysis of preferences for return migration to East German

Abstract

"In the public debate, brain drain from East Germany is supposed to be the most critical trend regarding the development and catching up of the New Länder. Therefore, potential for in- and re-migration has attracted much attention at least in the political context. Our contribution analyses the re-migration potential on basis of data from a DFG research project focussing on the re-migration intentions of people formerly emigrated from Saxony-Anhalt. The analysis concentrates on the following aspects: the effect of job market success after emigration; the Impact of social ties to the origin and the kost region and on the selectivity of re-migration preferences. The econometric results konfirm several expected effects: On the one hand an individual's job market success reduces the Intention to return. Likewise, the re-migration preference increases for people whose expectations were disappointed. On the other hand, the relevance of social ties to the origin region for re-migration dispositions is confined by the estimations. Yet, regarding selectivity of re-migration preferences in terms of human capital econometric results are somewhat ambiguous." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Schneider, L., Kubis, A. & Wiest, D. (2011): Selektivität, soziale Bindung und räumliche Mobilität. Eine Analyse der Rückkehrpräferenz nach Ostdeutschland. In: Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftsgeographie, Vol. 55, No. 3, p. 121-140.