Understanding intra-European youth mobility: The case of Romanians and Latvians in Sweden, by Henrik Emilsson; and Individual perceptions as a driver of migration aspirations: The case of Ukraine, by Iryna Lapshyna
Understanding intra-European youth mobility. The case of Romanians and Latvians in Sweden
Henrik Emilsson is an Associate Professor at the Institute of Global Political Studies at Malmö University and Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare (MIM)
Abstract: The talk is based on two articles examining migration of young people from Latvia and Romania to Malmö, Sweden. Why do they want to move to, and stay in, Sweden despite economic difficulties and underemployment? Six main factors for explaining mobility patterns are highlighted: free university education, romantic relationships, cosmopolitan lifestyle, presence of English language, idealisation of Sweden and work–life balance. The findings illustrate that many young migrants do not chose to move to Sweden for short-term economic opportunities, but rather to experience a different lifestyle. In most cases, these expectations are met, although over time. I a further study of their stay, a life-course perspective is applied to map the education and career trajectories before and after their mobility.
Individual perceptions as a driver of migration aspirations. The case of Ukraine
Iryna Lapshyna is a VW Fellow at IMIS, Osnabrück University and a Research Associate at South East European Studies at Oxford, University of Oxford. Previously, Iryna was a Senior Researcher at COMPAS, University of Oxford. She was also a grant holder of the British Academy and completed a project on the Ukrainian Diaspora in the UK and Poland. Prior to this, she worked as national expert on an EU-funded FP7 project
‘Imagining Europe from the outside’.
Abstract: This lecture will give an overview of how people’s perceptions of democracy and human rights such as corruption, safety and security, job opportunities, social security and quality of health care/schools affect their migration aspirations. It is be based on the results of EUMAGINE project, which studied migration-related perceptions of Europe among people aged 18-39 in four countries of origin and transit: Morocco,
Senegal, Turkey and Ukraine. Four main questions are addressed. First, it explores how Ukrainians perceive life in Ukraine and how they compare these with conditions in Europe. Second, it analyses the correlation between these individual perceptions and their migration aspirations. Third, it investigates how people perceive migration meaning its consequences, advantages and disadvantages. And fourth, it describes the
subsequent emergence of migration motives and aspirations. This presentation also will show that dissatisfaction with social policy in the sending country as well as positive perceptions of social policy in the destination countries are important contributors to the emergence of migration aspirations.