Since the 1990s young South Europeans have been attracted to London by the dynamic labour market and cultural radiance of the city, but also pushed by unfavourable conditions in the labour markets of their origin countries. Subsequently, the Eurozone crisis, austerity politics and their socio‐political consequences have markedly intensified migration rates. But did they also signify a rupture in terms of the motivations, experiences and aspirations of the migrants? Drawing on in‐depth interviews with Greek, Italian and Spanish migrants of different educational levels, we find that post‐materialist motivations and pro‐migration dispositions prevail among the “crisis‐migrants”. Migration is seen and experienced as a step forward, rather than a disruptive force, signalling a positive message in defence of intra‐EU free mobility. Yet at times of neoliberal deregulation and economic and political uncertainty, aspirations for socio‐economic stability and settlement are also of growing importance, questioning mobility as the normative way of contemporary life.

Migration can be considered an informal coping strategy in a bigger portfolio of livelihood choices. In theory, the availability of other livelihoods sources -like formal social protection -affects the decision to migrate. Access to social protection may either increase or decrease the likelihood of migration and there are theoretical arguments for both. This literature review synthesises the current empirical evidence on how access to social protection in low-income and middle-income countries influences decisions to migrate internally or internationally. The 29 reviewed studies show that access to social protection can affect the propensity to migrate in a number of ways, with about half showing that migration increased and the other half showing that migration decreased. The relationship between access to social protection and migration flows is clearly not linear. How a programme is designed and implemented is important. If implemented well, programmes that give households a dependable income source in areas of origin may be able to prevent migration. Context is critical: in areas of origin with poor employment prospects, social protection can only temporarily prevent migration. It is important to understand the reasons underpinning the migration decision and the constraints that have prevented migration so far.

Using a rigorous, evidence-focused review method, this literature review found eleven relevant studies that directly compare the impacts of cash transfers and remittances on a range indicators of poverty at the household level. The evidence base is small and highly context specific. The external and internal validity of most studies are limited, so the conclusions that can be drawn from this review are tentative. However, in the majority of studies both cash transfers and remittances are shown to have positive impacts on reducing poverty. Overall, remittances seem to have stronger poverty-reducing impacts. There are a number of factors that seem to explain why remittances have a greater effect. In the studies reviewed here, remittances appear to reach both a greater share of the overall population than cash transfers and a greater share of poorer households. Furthermore, remittances were higher in value in the majority of studies reviewed. Further high-quality research is needed.

Based on 20 in-depth interviews with young Spaniards aged 20-35 years in the London region, this article explores the linked processes of migration, adaptation, and young-adult life transitions from the perspective of psychosocial well-being. Although most young Spaniards have moved for economic reasons, they also have personal and emotional motivations. The article explores factors that mediated their wellbeing experiences in the destination setting, such as the role of social networks and the achievement of their aspirations. Aspirations were not only material, in the form of a steady and higher income, but also factors such as language improvement, reuniting with a partner or friend, and being independent from their family. The findings of the paper contribute new insights into the factors that condition the relationship between migration and psychosocial well-being during the transition of young people to adulthood.