A Country on the Move: International Migration in Post-Communist Albania

Abstract

Albania is a country on the move. This mobility plays a key role in household‐level strategies to cope with the economic hardship of transition. With the relaxing of controls on emigration at the beginning of the 1990s, international migration has exploded, becoming the single most important political, social, and economic phenomenon in post‐communist Albania. Based on the 1989 and 2001 population censuses we estimate that over 600,000 Albanians live abroad, mostly in nearby Greece and Italy, with the vast majority coming from a limited number of districts located at the coastal and transport gateways to these destination countries, as well as Tirana. The available data also suggest that a similar number have considered migrating, and of these, half have tried and failed. Almost one‐half of the children who since 1990 no longer live with their parents are now living abroad, a number of almost exodus proportions. This article also identifies clear patterns of temporary migration, with Greece being by far the most important destination and rural areas from the Center and North‐East of the country being the primary origins of these flows. Although migration, with the resulting remittances, has become an indispensable part of Albanian economic development, there is increasing consensus on the necessity to devise more appropriate, sustainable strategies to lift households out of poverty and promote the country's growth.

Albania on the Move : Links between Internal and International Migration

“…Van Hear (1998: 119) has described it as 'a new migration order', King (2005: 133) considers Albania a 'laboratory for the study of migration and development', while Carletto, Davis, Stampini and Zezza (2006) talk about a 'country on the move'. I now discuss some of the features of this migration, drawing on a number of key analyses such as Barjaba and King (2005), King (2003King ( , 2005, Mai (2002, 2008) and King and Vullnetari (2003).…”

Gender and migration from Albania

“…Following several decades of closure and within a few short years following the opening of its borders to international migration in 1990, Albania witnessed a remarkable out-migration, primarily to Greece and Italy, which led to the departure of about one-fth of the country's population (Carletto et al 2006;King and Vullnetari 2003). Whereas most migration from Albania at the start of the 1990s was male-dominated, women made up 41% of Albanians one decade later in Italy and Greece (Vullnetari 2007).…”

International Migration And Gender Differentials In The Home Labor Market: Evidence From Albania

“…Driven by economic hardships and geographic proximity, Albania has developed strong migration ties with other labor markets, in particular Greece and Italy, and remittances play a significant role in Albanian economy (Coulon and Piracha, 2005;Carletto et al 2007). Much of migration from Albania shows a stable and common pattern in that it has traditionally been temporary in nature (particularly the flow to the neighboring Greece), whether seasonal or circular.…”