Welfare Systems as Emigration Factor: Evidence from the New Accession States

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of welfare systems in shaping migration patterns in central and eastern Europe. It argues that states have played a crucial role in affecting migration by creating and widening opportunities for potential and actual migrants through welfare system policies. This explains why CEE countries where social spending figures have been lower, unemployment benefit schemes less extensive and where labour market mismatches remained unaddressed, experienced greater out‐migration. The article contributes to our understanding of how sending countries’ institutional factors affect out‐migration by investigating the role of sending states’ institutions.

Five Characteristics of Youth Unemployment in Europe

“…These include the economic situation in the sending and receiving country; policy measures inciting or preventing migration (the so-called transitional measures); geographic, language, and cultural proximity; as well as the differential distribution of migrant networks across Europe (Kahanec & Zimmermann, 2010). Youth mobility from East to West has also been discussed as a "choice" to "exit" native labor markets experiencing difficult economic conditions or as a "brain overflow," where younger cohorts have benefited from increased access to tertiary education, but these qualifications do not fit well with the structure of the labor demand in their own countries (Galgóczi, Leschke, & Watt, 2012;Kaczmarczyk & Okólski, 2008;Kahanec & Fabo, 2013;Kahanec & Mýtna Kureková, forthcoming;Kureková, 2011bKureková, , 2013OECD, 2012a).…”

Did Post-enlargement Labor Mobility Help the EU to Adjust During the Great Recession? The Case of Slovakia

“…The lowest and relatively stable share of outflows was found from Bratislava region, while the highest outflows took place from the regions of Prešov, Nitra and Žilina. These figures are closely correlated with regional labor market conditions and structural deficiencies that have been found to have affected patterns of emigration in Slovakia (Kureková 2011b). 6 For limitations of the ability of LFS to capture migration see (Bahna 2012c …”

“…On the other hand, recent studies propose that the primary drivers of out-migration include domestic labor market conditions. Besides supply and demand factors, it has been argued that labor market structure and broader institutional infrastructure, including welfare system generosity and targeting, reflect additional factors behind the observed trends (Kureková 2011a;Kureková 2013). …”

“…Existing research has argued that profiles of migrants have differed based upon destination countries and key motives for emigration (Kureková 2011b;Bahna 2012a). A large share of people who worked abroad in the years following accession were young and well educated.…”

Kivándorlás vagy maradás? A hűség szerepe az egyéni döntésekben

“…Kureková (2013) pedig EU-tagállamok esetében -egyszerű kvantitatív eljárások elvégzése mellett -kvalitatív úton is elemezte, hogy a küldő országok jóléti rendszereinek is érdemi hatása van a kivándorlásra.…”