Eurocity London: a qualitative comparison of graduate migration from Germany, Italy and Latvia

Abstract

This paper compares the motivations and characteristics of the recent migration to London of young-adult graduates from Germany, Italy and Latvia. Conceptually the paper links three domains: the theory of core-periphery structures within Europe; the notion of London as both a global city and a 'Eurocity'; and the trope of 'crisis'. The dataset analysed consists of 95 in-depth biographical interviews and the paper's main objective is to tease out the narrative similarities and differences between the three groups interviewed. Each of the three nationalities represents a different geo-economic positioning within Europe. German graduates move from one economically prosperous country to another; they traverse shallow economic and cultural boundaries. Italian graduates migrate from a relatively peripheral Southern European country where, especially in Southern Italy, employment and career prospects have long been difficult, and have become more so in the wake of the financial crisis. They find employment opportunities in London which are unavailable to them in Italy. Latvian graduates are from a different European periphery, the Eastern one, postsocialist and post-Soviet. Like the Italians, their moves are economically driven whereas, for the Germans, migration is more related to lifestyle and life-stage. For all three groups, the chance to live in a large, multicultural, cosmopolitan city is a great attraction. And for all groups, thoughts about the future are marked by uncertainty and ambiguity.

Italian youth mobility during the last two decades: an overview in eight selected EU countries

“…Part of the answer can be found in some recent studies on Italian graduates (King, R. and Conti, F. 2013;King, R. et al 2014King, R. et al , 2016b) that point out how young Italians are fleeing from something intangible as well as from economic stresses and employment crisis. They are running away from a system they call "gerontocratic", "clientelist", "corrupt" and "not merit-based", where finding a job requires "recommendations" and networks of personal connections.…”

“…A high percentage of Italians moving to Germany (especially women) were under the age of 25 (Haug, S. 2015). King, R. et al (2016b), in their analysis of new flows of young people -Germans, Italians and Latvians -in London, draw attention to characteristics including: (i) the renewed importance of the contrast between developed and less-developed economies in the world and in Europe, (ii) the attractiveness of London as a Eurocity (Favell, A. 2008) and a global city (Sassen, S. 2001), and (iii) the economic crisis.…”

“…The flow towards Germany also regained momentum beginning in 2010 and, in 2013, inflows from Italy were the highest of those from any Mediterranean country. A high percentage of Italians moving to Germany (especially women) were under the age of 25 (Haug, S. 2015). King, R. et al (2016b), in their analysis of new flows of young people -Germans, Italians and Latvians -in London, draw attention to characteristics including: (i) the renewed importance of the contrast between developed and less-developed economies in the world and in Europe, (ii) the attractiveness of London as a Eurocity (Favell, A.…”

Foodways, Campervans and the Terms of Mobility: Transnational Belonging, Home, and Heritage in the Narrative of “Sud Italia”

“…[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38]. Responding to this inviting opening, the present article is based on data collated via participatory ethnography, including semi-structured participant interviews, between October 2014 and January 2016 as part of the ongoing "Transnationalizing Modern Languages" project ("TML").…”

In what sense ‘distinctive’? The search for distinction amongst cross-border student migrants in the UK

“…King et al (2014) take this argument further by arguing that the 'lure of London' makes it distinctive to international students relative to all other English locations, thus opening the interesting prospect of researching glocalisation effects on student flows arising from the geography of globalisation in relation to global cities and their positioning in the differentiation of higher education. Work on international students found that the image of London dominated perceptions of study in England, with universities outside London being defined largely in terms of their proximity to the UK's leading global city (Beech 2014).…”